Beautiful Darling: The Lum Chronicles
by Ferngully
Summary: Completed! AU Crossover Fic with Maison Ikkoku, Inuyasha, & Urusei Yatsura! The land of Rumi was cursed when the Eternal Goddess Lum mysteriously betrayed her people 100 years ago. Can schoolgirl Shinobu, her teacher Godai, & widowed Kyoko now save it?
1. Chapter 1

Hey, everybody! This is a Urusei Yatsura, Maison Ikkoku, Inuyasha Alternate Universe Fic. I've actually finished the whole thing (24 chapters, 266 pages, 10 font, double-spaced, and97,238 words - yes, I'm aware, Ihave no life), but I'm going to post each chapter separately to give people time to read.

The idea for this story actually came from Tsubasa: The Reservoir Chronicles (hence the similar title), where CLAMP decided to take a bunch of different characters from all of their manga and put it into one new fantasy story; so I thought it would be cool to do it with Rumiko Takahashi's work! Obviously, Rumiko Takahashi has a lot more work than these three series (Ranma's the most obvious one that's missing), but these are the only three that I have seen enough of to write the characters credibly. Moreover, there's already way too many characters to begin with, lol!

Anyway, this story is probably the closest in tone to Inuyasha, as it's more serious than something like Urusei Yatsura and Maison Ikkoku obviously doesn't have any fantasy elements. Still, I tried to keep the characters in character as best as I could giving the setting and story and there are still a lot of funny parts within the story. Also, the plot actually became _a lot _more complicated than I initially thought it would be, mainly because I needed to come up with a reasonable explanation as to why all of these characters were involved. The story can also be read by anyone; you don't have to have any knowledge of any of these series to actually know what's going on, although it is fun to pick out the different shout-outs and in-jokes if you have seen them. But, still, if you've only seen one of the shows, you won't be lost because, as I said, this is an alternate universe story.

Also, for those who are curious, the main characters in this story are as follows:

Lum, Ataru Moroboshi, Shinobu Miyake, and Shutaro Mendou from Urusei Yatsura

Kyoko Otonoshiand Yusaku Godai from Maison Ikkoku

Inuyasha, Kagome Higurashi, Sango, and Miroku from Inuyasha

Originally, Inuyasha wasn't going to be in this story as much because he's not a favorite of mine, I'll admit, but I had so much fun writing his character that he ended up being in it a lot more and he winded up being one of my favorite characters in the whole story; go figure, lol. Also, Kagome's only in the beginning but doesn't come back until the second half of the story, although she plays a major role when she does show up again.

As for characters that make an appearance in one way or another (and varying from larger roles to small cameos...):

Sakura from Urusei Yatsura

Oyuki from Urusei Yatsura

Cherry from Urusei Yatsura

Megane and the Stormtroopers from Urusei Yatsura

Mr. and Mrs. Moroboshi from Urusei Yatsura

Shun Mitaka from Maison Ikkoku

Soichiro Otonoshi(Kyoko's husband) from Maison Ikkoku

Soichiro (the dog) from Maison Ikkoku

The Master of the Cha-Cha Maru from Maison Ikkoku

Akemi, Mrs. Ichinose, and Yotsuya from Maison Ikkoku

Seisshomaru from Inuyasha

Kikyo from Inuyasha

Rin from Inuyasha

Kohaku from Inuyasha

I think that's about it; hopefully, I'm not forgetting anyone, lol! And sorry this has been so long; I just thought I should have some sort of explanation. As there are twenty four chapters, I'll be posting eight in each section - Urusei Yatsura, Maison Ikkoku, and Inuyasha, depending on what characters the chapter is focusing more on. The first chapter will be posted in the Urusei Yatsura section. Anyway, on with the story!

* * *

_Once upon a time, there was a magical land where a great Prince ruled, the last of a great dynasty blessed by an Eternal Goddess. During the Prince's reign, the Goddess came down from the heavens to his kingdom to live amongst her people. The people thought that she meant to bring their beloved kingdom and Prince into a Golden Age. And the Prince fell in love with the Goddess - the beautiful Goddess who had always watched over his family and blessed his kingdom for so long. _

_But the Goddess was an imposter. And on the day the Prince was to be crowned king, she killed the young Prince and destroyed the magnificent palace that had once been the shining glory of the kingdom. And the land of Rumi became black - cursed for eternity and betrayed by their faithful Goddess…._

* * *

Beautiful Darling: The Lum Chronicles

Prince Shutaro finally found the strength to pull himself away from the man who had so firmly held him for what seemed like an eternity. He backed up a bit, feeling light-headed, and then stared up at the handsome man with long pink hair with a bewildered gaze. "Who…who are you?" he asked.

Pulling his sword out, the stranger replied, "Please forgive me, Prince Shutaro."

And Shutaro could see his frightened face in the reflection of the blade before the stranger rose the sword and cut it across Shutaro's throat.

* * *

The Goddess Lum had been kneeling beside the body for some time now, her hands and dress covered in blood. Her beautiful eyes streamed with shining tears, like diamonds falling down to mix with ruby blood. She didn't have much time left; the castle was darkening and her messenger would be here soon. She knew he must have felt what she had felt, the evil that all Rumi must have felt by now. Slowly she raised her hand to her left horn - her right horn was already gone. A small azure glow formed around it as he lifted off of her soft green hair and down before her eyes. The gold chain she wore around her neck magically pulled itself off of her and wrapped itself around the horn. Lum then picked up the horn from midair and carefully opened the lifeless hand of the body and then closed it around the gold chain and the young man's sword. "Please, find your way to Soichiro's world; he'll take care of your body there, I'm sure," she said. She then kissed his forehead and whispered, "Goodbye, my good friend Shutaro." Her horn that now lay upon him glowed and soon the rest of Prince Shutaro's body glowed as well, the blood disappearing from his grand white attire. Then, the glow engulfed him, taking him to Soichiro's world…whatever that world was like. And Lum was left in the cold darkness of the palace, knowing there was not much time left.

Hastily, she raised her hand and a blank sheet of paper appeared in front of her. Her tears flowing once again, as if being rejuvenated by the memories that past through her heart as she knew what she had to write, the gold letters magically formed on the paper, "Dear Soichiro - please find Darling for me. Please find Darling and tell him to find me again. Love, Lum." She then sealed it up and addressed it to Soichiro Otonoshi.

Only a moment later did her messenger arrived, coming through one of the grand open windows of the palace's hallway, the long black-haired man name Inuyasha with his magical sword tetsusaiga urgently drawn. "Please, take this to the well that leads to Soichiro's world," Lum said, extending her hand that gently held her letter. "I don't have the strength anymore to pass things through the worlds."

Inuyasha stared at her wide-eyed. "Lum…your horns…" he trailed off, noticing that both of her horns were mysteriously absent.

But Lum didn't answer him. Instead, she insisted, "Please, take it." And Inuyasha reluctantly replied. "Go quickly."

He wanted to ask more, but seeing her frightened, glistening eyes, he hastily went on his way to the well. And Lum, with what little strength she had left as the sources of her power, her horns, were now gone, turned her attention back to the darkening castle. "There's an evil in this place," she said quietly before her body surged with electricity, magic coming from her life force, and her sad eyes became angry and vengeful.

* * *

Inuyasha only stopped for a moment to look back when the palace was destroyed only a couple miles behind him, burned in fantastical blaze of light, as if the castle gave birth to a thousand bolts of lightening. It was only an instant and the light quickly faded leaving nothing but the blackened ruins of the once white and luminous palace of the Mendou dynasty. And the sky blackened and the stars disappeared and Inuyasha feared the worst had happened to the Goddess Lum. But he wouldn't allow his thoughts to continue to linger on such horrifying possibilities and instead focused his attention on running to the well that lead to Soichiro's world.

It was near sunrise when he finally reached the magical well that belonged to Soichiro. But, as he stood only a yard away from his task, an arrow cut through the air and pierced his heart.

Inuyasha went flying back as the arrow pulled him until he hit against a large tree, where the arrow pinned him. His vision was growing faint, but he managed to open his weak eyes. He saw a black crow sitting perched in one of the limbs above him, looming down at him with an ominous gaze. He then lowered his eyes to see a young priestess standing in the distance with her bow drawn. "Ki…Kikyo?" he asked in disbelief. "But…but why…?" he trailed off, cringing in pain.

"The Goddess Lum is an imposter; a demon witch," Kikyo replied. "She killed the prince and destroyed the palace."

Inuyasha's eyes grew angry. "I don't believe you," he said as he tried to raise his free hand to pull out the arrow in his chest. But a light pulsed from the sacred arrow and Inuyasha let out a scream of pain. Then, both his hands fell limp and his eyes shut.

Lum's letter, however, slipped out of Inuyasha's fingers and was taken up by the wind. Kikyo's eyes widened and she gasped as it traveled with the breeze until gently falling onto the water in the well. There was a small glow from the water before it disappeared from sight. Kikyo grimaced, but said coolly, "It doesn't matter; I'll seal up the well so that man from that unknown world can't find his way back here to help that demon witch."

As soon as she was complete, a woman with dark green, curly hair appeared behind her, clasped an around her shoulders, and said, "You've served your purpose well, Kikyo." She then ripped a sword through her gut.

* * *

Chapter One: The Prince in the Glass Casket

"Come on, Mr. Godai, don't you know any fairytales?"

"Tell us something about a prince and a princess! Something really romantic!"

"And have their be a dragon in it!"

"No, not a dragon! That's so boyish! How about one with a magic kiss?"

"You mean, like Sleeping Beauty?"

"Yeah! I absolutely love that story!"

Yusaku Godai frowned as his students begged him, their attention in his lessons increasingly waning as the days grew warmer and the summer approached. It also didn't help much that there was only five more minutes left of class. Trying to gain some control over his classroom, the young teacher said, "We really should finish the lesson…"

"Oh, please, Mr. Godai!" one girl student said

"It could be educational!" another insisted.

"And I'm sure you've got plenty of romantic stories to tell being a grown-up and all."

"Yeah, don't you have your own princess, Mr. Godai?"

"Oh, look! Mr. Godai's blushing! How cute!" And the girls in the class giggled while the boys chuckled a bit.

"No…I mean…uh…" Yusaku sighed miserably; he had only been teaching for the last four months and his students always found a way to hijack the class from him. It was mostly harmless teasing, but he always ended up being the one embarrassed. Finally, he reluctantly gave in and said, "Well…I don't know much about fairytales…."

"Tell us about Sleeping Beauty," a female student interjected.

"Yeah, tell us that one."

"Right…uh…Sleeping Beauty," Yusaku said, rubbing the back of his neck as he tried to recall the story. "That's with the apple and the glass coffin, right?"

The students laughed. "No, no - that's Snow White!" they all exclaimed.

"Look, he's blushing again!"

"Mr. Godai's always so cute when he blushes!" The girls giggled again while the boys all just shook their head in disgust at their flirtatious antics.

"That story's hardly romantic, anyway; I mean, doesn't she just cough up the apple or something?"

"Ew! Gross!"

Yusaku sighed, his face still beat red, as his students continued to clamor again to themselves. Luckily, the school bells in the clock tower chimed, signaling the end of class. As his students ambulated out, two girl students - Kagome Higurashi and Shinobu Miyake - lingered a bit.

"You know, Mr. Godai, you really shouldn't let them all take advantage of you like that," Kagome said as Yusaku packed up his things. "You've got to put your foot down once in awhile."

Yusaku winced a bit and felt his face flushing again; how embarrassing was it to be lectured by his sixteen year old student? But he smiled and nodded as pleasantly as he could.

"It's not Mr. Godai's fault; they only tease him because he's so young," Shinobu replied.

"I guess that's true," Kagome pondered, placing a finger on her chin. "I mean, it's not everyday that we have such a young teacher. And you know how high school girls can be with older men - as opposed to _old _men, that is."

Shinobu frowned now as she looked at Yusaku's face. "Hey, Mr. Godai, you're blushing again."

Kagome sighed and shook her head. "You sure do get embarrassed easily, don't you, Mr. Godai?"

"No…I…" Growing a bit defensive now, he slammed his briefcase shut and replied, "I happen to just feel a little under the weather today, that's all."

Both Shinobu and Kagome exchanged knowing looks, but Kagome smiled and said, "Well, then feel better, won't you, Mr. Godai?" Shinobu gave a nod of approval before both girls left the classroom together. And Yusaku just frowned and sighed in self-pity.

* * *

As both girls walked outside in the Tomobiki High School front yard that late spring afternoon, Kagome said, "Mr. Godai's really got to get some sort of backbone one of these days, don't you think?"

Shinobu shrugged. "I don't know; I sort of feel sorry for him sometimes."

"Yeah, poor Mr. Godai," Kagome concurred. "He really does try his best. He's just a little bit wishy-washy sometimes."

"Well, all the girls love him," Shinobu pointed out and sighed a bit.

Kagome gave Shinobu a sly look. "You don't have a crush on him, too, do you, Shinobu?"

Shinobu's face turned pink as she waved her hands in front of her. Flustered, she said, "Of course not! He's way too old for me!"

"Not really," Kagome commented, counting the years on her fingers. "If he's just out of college, he's probably only seven or eight years older that us."

But Shinobu shook her head. "I was just thinking about fairytales and things that's all because we were talking about them in class."

"Oh, imagining Prince Charming, are we?" Kagome said with a laugh. "What's he like?"

"I don't know. Handsome and brave and sweet…" she said before bitterly adding, "And not like most of the boys in this school." She then asked, "How about your Prince Charming?"

Kagome's eyes grew serious now as she smiled sadly. Placing a hand over her heart, she said, "I sometimes have a dream about this boy…with long black hair and dressed all in red. He's pinned to a tree by an arrow, near the well in my backyard and he's in pain. I always wish I could pull the arrow from him and save him." She then laughed bashfully as her cheeks turned red. "You must think I sound crazy!"

"No, no! I think you sound really romantic!" Shinobu insisted. "Much better than my idea of Prince Charming - I wish I could be so romantic. Except…if you're the one saving him, wouldn't that make you the prince?"

Kagome shrugged. "I don't know. I guess so."

Both girls stopped, however, when then noticed their teacher, Yusaku, a few yards away, staring over the five foot brick wall around the school. "Hey, what's Mr. Godai looking at?" Shinobu asked.

"I don't know," Kagome answered. "I usually see him out here after school, though, on my way to archery practice." Both girls gave each other puzzled looks before walking over to the wall. They each stood on their tiptoes to peer over. Upon looking over, they saw a young woman sitting on a bench across the street. She was eating from a bento box and occasionally giving some of her food to a big white dog that sat at her feet. They then looked over to Yusaku who was staring at her with dreamy eyes and a wide smile as if he was still a schoolboy himself.

"She's pretty, isn't she?" Kagome said and Shinobu nodded.

"I guess Mr. Godai really does have his own princess," Shinobu remarked. "Too bad he's probably too shy to actually go and talk to her."

"Don't be so pessimistic!" Kagome exclaimed to her friend. "If it's true love, then fate will find a way to pull them together!"

Shinobu sighed. "I wish I could have so much faith in true love," she muttered jadedly, lowering herself from the ledge of the wall.

Meanwhile, Kagome looked at her watch. "Anyway, I've got to get to archery practice. You want to come watch?"

Shinobu shrugged half-heartedly. "I guess so." And, glancing back at the infatuated Yusaku once more, Shinobu followed her friend to archery practice.

* * *

Shinobu watched on the sidelines while Kagome continuously hit the bull's eye as she shot her arrows at practice. She clapped each time as her friend was applauded and cheered on by her teammates. After a half hour or so, Kagome walked over to Shinobu and asked, "Hey, Shinobu, can you do me a favor?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Could you run and get some supplies in the basement under the gym? We just need a few long bows and some more arrows. Coach gave me the keys and said it would be all right…"

Shinobu's heart jumped. She had heard stories about the Tomobiki School basement - mainly the generic ones about ghosts and things that she was certain almost every high school had. Still, she accepted the keys, anyway, and headed to the basement.

"Wow…Kagome's a really good archer," she said quietly to herself as she placed the key in the lock of the basement door. "I wish I could be so talented at something." The door then slowly creaked open. A look of panic scurried across her face as she looked down the dark staircase. After placing the keys in her pocket, she flicked on the lights and a dim orange glow brightened the dark basement, but not much. Swallowing hard she stepped down the first half of the steps before the basement door slammed shut behind her. She let out a shrill gasp and lost her footing, falling down the last half dozen steps and landing on her backside with a thud.

"Ow…" she groaned, rubbing her rear end as she felt it start to bruise. She slowly pulled herself to her feet and looked around the dark, cluttered basement. She drew her arms in with a nervous shudder and cautiously made her way through the poorly-lit aisles of the basement, constantly glancing down at the floor in fear that a rat or worse could scurry by at any moment. "Archery supplies, archery supplies…" she muttered to herself as she looked around. Then, upon seeing a box labeled "Archery," she let out a sigh of relief and exclaimed, "Here it is!"

As soon as she grabbed onto the box, however, the sound of murmuring came to her ears. She froze, let out a quiet gasp, and bit her lower lip. It sounded like a male voice, but she couldn't make out what he was saying. She closed her eyes tightly and said to herself, "There's no such thing as ghosts, there's no such thing as ghosts," before yanking out the box with all her might.

She wasn't sure what she was grabbing, but she scooped up a couple of bows and a dozen or so arrows in her arms. Leaving the box on the floor, she hurriedly made her way to the stairs. However, when she reached the stairs, something let out a crash and she could hear glass shattered. Shinobu's eyes widened; no longer was she afraid of ghosts - now she was afraid of the very realistic consequences she would be facing if something valuable had broken that belonged to the school.

Still holding the bows and arrows tightly to her breast, she hastily made her way to where the sound had come from. There, she saw a long, narrow package wrapped in brown paper had fallen off the shelf, it's tail end still on the shelf while the top half had already crashed into the floor. She winced and placed the bows and arrows quickly down. She then ran over to the box. The first thing she noticed was that the box was addressed to a "Soichiro Otonoshi," whoever that was.

She frowned and then looked down to see a pile of glass that had ripped through the brown wrapping paper in one corner. "Oh, no…" She winced again and hurriedly took hold of the top end of the box, trying to push it back over the shelf. But, as hard as she tried, it was much to heavy for her, and the whole box slipped off the shelf, and slammed into the floor. This was followed by the loud shattering of glass and the brown paper quickly deflated, pieces of it being torn apart by flying pieces of jagged glass. "Oh, no! Oh, no! Oh, no!" Shinobu said in a panic as she desperately grabbed onto some of the pieces while not cutting herself.

And then her hand suddenly felt something soft. "Huh…?" She looked down and picked it up to see what looked like a strand of shiny, black hair extending out from one of the holes in the brown paper. She blinked a few times as her eyes slowly trailed upward to see the shape that the paper had now taken - that of a human being.

Shinobu immediately dropped the hair and let out a shriek as she crawled back. "It…it can't be!" she cried out. But it had been the perfect size for a body - a glass coffin for a dead body. She gulped, but forced herself to be brave as she crawled back over to what she feared to be a body. She slowly raised her hand and wrapped it around the brown paper. Then she closed her eyes and tore it off.

When she finally found the courage to open them, she saw, to her surprise, a handsome young man lying before her, perfectly preserved. He was dressed in all white with jewels embroidered on his clothes and his black hair was long, extending all the way down to his ankles and extending outward in all directions. His eyes were closed and in his hands he held a sword along with a gold chain that was attached to an odd, yellow, triangular shaped object. And across his neck was a thick, dull scar.


	2. Chapter 2

Hey, all! Thanks to anyone who's read. Sadly, no reviews, but that's all right. Anyway, here's the second chapter of the story. Hope you all enjoy!

Chapter Two: The Mysterious Letter

Shinobu suddenly didn't feel frightened as she looked at the handsome boy that lay in front of her, like a noble prince fast asleep. Her cheeks blushed, finding herself infatuated by the beautifully sleeping prince. Then, her eyes were drawn down to the strange yellow object tied to a gold chain. Her hands slowly and gently lowered onto the young man's hand. "He…he still feels so warm…but he isn't breathing at all. Could he really be dead…?" she wondered, glancing back up at the boy's handsome face. She then carefully unwrapped his fingers from around the chain. Once his grip was loosened, Shinobu easily pulled the chain out from his hand and held up the odd necklace with her left hand, watching the yellow object dangle in front of her eyes, strangely in awe at the simple trinket.

It was then that she felt a burning pain in her lower right arm. She winced and dropped the necklace on her lap. Then, she quickly rolled up her sleeve to see that the words "Guardian of the Prince" were suddenly engraved into her lower right arm in gold kanji. "Guardian of the Prince…?" she whispered in confusion as she stroked the kanji with her fingers. Then, the murmuring returned to her ears; but this time, she could make out the voice and words - "It's dark! It's cramped! I'm scared!" - being repeated over and over again.

Shinobu slowly rose, taking up the odd yellow object in her hands again and slowly ambulated to where the voice was coming from. She stopped when she saw the back of a young man floating in front of her. He was dressed in all white - the same as the body she had just found - and was sitting mid air. His black hair was short and neatly brushed back. He had his head lowered and his eyes tightly shut while his hands were pressed against both sides of his forehead, as if trying to block out whatever was around him. And he continuously repeated in a frightened, near hysterical voice, "It's dark! It's cramped! I'm scared!"

Shinobu blinked a few times; for a ghost, the boy didn't seem all that frightening. Shinobu took a few steps toward him and said, "Excuse me…sir?"

The boy stopped in his endless rant, raised his head, and fluttered his eyes open. He looked around in puzzlement. "Where…where am I? It's no longer dark anymore…" He then turned around to see Shinobu looking up at him and Shinobu saw that it was, indeed, the same face of the boy who laid only a little distant away - and the same scar was across his neck. Shutaro finally asked, "Who…who are you?"

"My name is Shinobu Miyake," she answered. "Who are you?"

He laughed haughtily at this. "I'm Prince Shutaro Mendou, of course! Ruler of the magnificent land of Rumi! But you already know that."

Shinobu frowned. "Um…I think you're a little lost…uh…Prince Shutaro…"

Shutaro, meanwhile, raised a suspicious eyebrow. "Why are you dressed in such odd clothes? Are those the new servant clothes?" he questioned, eyeing her school uniform. He then demanded, "And where am I? This certainly doesn't _look_ like anywhere in my palace…"

"Uh…Prince Shutaro…this is Tomobiki High School."

"Tomo…Tomo - what?" Shutaro asked before angrily interrogating, "Now why on earth would any of my ancestors name a wing of the castle anything as ridiculous sounding as that?"

"You really are lost, aren't you?" Shinobu replied again with another frown.

Shutaro laughed now and said, "Forgive me; I'm being rude. After all, a beautiful young lady as yourself shouldn't be spoken to so coarsely." He flashed her a charming grin and Shinobu blushed and smiled nervously. Shutaro then continued, "It's just that I'm a little…flustered…after being…well, wherever I was for so long. How long was I there for, anyway…?"

"You mean, that darkness?" Shinobu offered, clasping her hand together and leaning up toward him.

"Yes! You know about that?" Shutaro eagerly asked.

"Well, you kept going on about it…" Shinobu commented and Shutaro's face turned pink.

"But what was that place? Do you know where I was?"

"Well…" Shinobu began reluctantly.

"You do know, don't you?"

"You see…Prince Shutaro…I think you might be…well…dead."

Shutaro eyes fluttered in bewilderment. "Dead?"

Shinobu nodded. "I think so. But at least you're a ghost now."

Shutaro shook his head. "I don't think so," he began with a smug smirk. "After all, how could someone as beautiful and wonderful as I possibly be dead? It's absurd, really."

"But…you're floating," Shinobu remarked, pointing down at the few feet of air between Shutaro and the floor.

Shutaro let out an "eek!" at this. "What…what…what…" he stammered, trying to make sense of his new predicament.

"I think someone slit your throat," Shinobu continued to explain and Shutaro let out another yelp of panic as he clasped both hands defensively onto his neck.

"What!" he exclaimed in horror. "But who on earth would possibly want to do that to someone like me!" He then defiantly shook his head and said, "I refuse to believe this! You're just trying to confuse me! I can't possibly be dead! I have a kingdom to rule, I have you know! And just because I'm floating doesn't mean anything. I'm sure there are plenty of reasons I could be floating! You have no _real_ proof!"

And Shinobu simply took him over to where his body laid. Shutaro began to sulk at this and exclaimed indignantly, "My beautiful body, lying on some disgusting, dirty floor! This is horrible! Just horrible! And look at my hair! Didn't anyone think to cut it!"

"I think it looks pretty," Shinobu commented. "Although, for a dead guy, you sure have your priorities mixed up."

"It's important!" Shutaro insisted, crossing his arms. "If I have to be dead, I could at least look _presentable_." He then asked, "How long have I been dead for, anyway, Miss Shinobu?"

"I don't know," Shinobu answered honestly. "It must have been for a long time if your hair's grown out so much…although, come to think about it, if you were dead, your hair wouldn't be growing…" Both Shinobu and Shutaro gasped.

"That means that there has to be a way I can get myself back inside my body!" Shutaro exclaimed. He then laughed. "I knew it! I knew I wasn't dead! I knew it all along!" He then grew serious and questioned, "But…how did my body stay preserved for so long?"

"Maybe it has something to do with this," Shinobu offered, raising the odd necklace she still held in her hand for him to see.

"That's…that's one of Miss Lum's horns…" Shutaro said in disbelief as he stared at it with wide eyes.

"It was with you when I found you…and the box was addressed to a Soichiro Otonoshi."

"Soichiro?" Shutaro questioned, recognizing the name. "That means…I must be in Soichiro's world…"

"And, also, I got this weird tattoo on my arm now…" Shinobu said, extending her arm out for Shutaro to see.

"But…you're the Guardian of the Prince?" Shutaro asked. "But why would Miss Lum pick such a young girl to…" He stopped and gasped. "Unless she meant for Soichiro to…"

It was then a burst of light came, blinding both Shutaro and Shinobu. A pulse of energy hit into Shinobu and she went flying back into the wall. "Miss Shinobu!" Shutaro cried out and then turned back to where his body laid as the light died down. There was now a man with long pink hair hovering over his body with a sinister smirk. "My body!" He then looked back to Shinobu, who was groaning and brushing the soot of her skirt as she pulled herself to the feet. "You have to protect my body!"

"What?" Shinobu then looked to see the same man Shutaro saw looming over Shutaro's body with a thick sword now drawn. Shinobu let out a shrill and frantic gasp as she backed away. "No way!"

"You have to! You're the Guardian of the Prince! It's your _job!_" Shutaro insisted angrily.

"But…"

Before Shinobu had a chance to further protest her new duties, the man shot her a fierce glare. "She's the Guardian of the Prince?" he scoffed bitterly. With a flick of his wrist, another pulse of energy hit Shinobu and she went flying back into the wall once more.

"Ow…" she groaned.

The man laughed and sneered. "Pathetic," he muttered and then proceeded to raise Shutaro's body from the ground.

"Wait a second!" Shutaro protested in vain, as he wasn't exactly corporeal at the moment and couldn't do anything against his antagonist. "I demand you give me back my body! Now put it down!"

It was then that the stranger lifted his eyes to meet Shutaro's and Shutaro remembered him. The images flashed in his head - the embrace, the blade, those same eyes looking down at him before he raised his sword to his throat. And Shutaro raised his hand to his throat again and said, "That's the man who…"

And in the same blinding light, the man and Shutaro's body disappeared.

Shinobu slowly opened her eyes and looked up to see Shutaro standing, staring out at the empty basement with a dumbfounded daze. "Prince Shutaro…?" she asked hesitantly when suddenly the horn she held in her hand began to glow. "What's…what's going on?" And the glow grew bigger and bigger until it was just as blinding as the light the stranger emitted. Then the light swallowed both Shinobu and Shutaro up, leaving the basement vacant, the bows and arrows still lying beside the stairway.

* * *

Yusaku walked slowly home from work that day, his mind drifting back to his memory of the beautiful woman that always sat across from the school yard with her white dog. "I wonder if she has a boyfriend…or maybe even a husband." He shook his head and looked up at the sky. "She's too young to have a husband." He then frowned and glumly added, "She's too pretty not to have a boyfriend." He sighed and lowered his head again, his eyes falling to the pavement. He had often gone over the scenario in his head, what he would say if he actually tried to approach her. He imagined himself walking up to her and saying debonairly, "All this time, I have been admiring your beauty from afar! Now I have finally found the courage to speak with you! You are the only one for me! Please, go out with me!" in which she would reply, "Oh, Yusaku! I have been admiring you, too, from afar! You are the only one for me! Let's go out!"

This scenario would often been crushed by his other scenario, that included him sheepishly approaching her, rubbing the back of his neck, and stammering, "Hello…Miss…I…I know you don't know me…but I've…uh…been watching you for some time now…and…could you…please go out with!" This would end with his face beat red and him bowing his head and raising his clapped hands as if begging to her. Then, she would reply, "You've been watching me! How weird! I'm sorry, but I don't go out with weird stalkers! Besides, I already have a boyfriend!" She would then laugh as a handsome, rich man pulled up in a red convertible and she drove off leaving Yusaku to wallow in his misery.

Of course, none of these scenarios seemed very likely; he didn't even have the courage to even ask her her name, let alone ask her out on a date. Yusaku sighed miserably and continued walking. However, his foot suddenly stepped on an envelope. He stopped and blinked a few times in surprise. He then bent down and picked it up. It was addressed to a Soichiro Otonoshi. He frowned, not recognizing the name. However, he knew the address; he passed it on his way home. So, figuring that it was on his way, anyway, Yusaku decided to deliver the letter.

He approached the rundown house and looked over the address to make sure. "This seems to be the place…" he concluded and then opened the gate. As soon as he did he saw a big white dog emerge from his dog house to greet Yusaku. Yusaku recognized the dog immediately - it belonged to the woman that always sat on the bench opposite the Tomobiki schoolyard.

Panic quickly set in, especially as the dog began barking. Yusaku hastily made his way to retreat, forgetting that the letter was still in his hand, and started to open the gate again. However, a woman opened the front door, asking in a sweet voice, "Soichiro, what's wrong?" Standing on the front stoop, she saw Yusaku and said, "May I help you, sir?"

Yusaku was paralyzed for a moment as a bead of sweat dripped down from his forehead. His face flushing, he turned around to face the woman that he had been admiring from afar and that a strange coincidence had now lead him to meeting for the first time. He had never even heard her voice until that moment; and now he was given the opportunity to actually talk with her. Nervously, he bowed and said, "Hello, my name is Yusaku Godai. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"I'm Kyoko Otonoshi; it's a pleasure to meet you, too," she replied.

Yusaku felt his heart froze as she introduced herself. "Otonoshi…that means she must be married to…"

Noticing that he hadn't raised himself from bowing, Kyoko asked, "Is something wrong?"

"No," Yusaku said, quickly snapping up straight and standing erect. "I…I was just…"

"Yes?"

"I was walking home and I found this envelope on the sidewalk not to far from her," he explained, holding up the letter as he lingered by the gate. "It's addressed to this house."

Kyoko smiled now. "That was so sweet of you to bring it here for me."

"No, no! It was on my way home, anyway!" Yusaku insisted.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Godai," she said. She then clapped her hands together and offered, "Would you like to come and have some tea with me, Mr. Godai?"

"No…I…well…" Yusaku stammered, but Kyoko giggled, patting Soichiro on the head.

"It's the least I could do for bringing me my letter for me," she said and Yusaku complied, following her into the house and still holding onto the letter.

After Kyoko poured tea for both her and Yusaku, she sat down on the floor opposite him and asked, "So, what do you do for a living, Mr. Godai?"

"I…I'm a teacher," he answered, drinking half his tea in one gulp as his nerves continued to get the best of him. "I just graduated from college in March and I…I started teaching."

"It must have been fun to go to college," Kyoko said. "I never got to go."

"You look young enough to be in college," Yusaku remarked, trying to smile, but he felt himself frowning instead. "I mean, you must be only twenty-one or twenty-two…." He trailed off as he reached his age.

Kyoko frowned a bit herself and said, "I'm afraid I'm a bit older than that…"

"Oh…" Yusaku frowned, realizing that she was older than him, decreasing what little chance he had with her, considering, from what he surmised, she was probably married.

"Would you like more tea, Mr. Godai?" she asked, seeing that he had already gulped down most of it.

"Oh, yes, please; thanks, Miss Otonoshi," he said, raising his cup so she could pour his tea for him.

As she did, she asked, "So, Mr. Godai, at what school do you teach?"

"I teach?" he asked and then blushed. "I mean, I teach at Tomobiki High School, class 2-4."

"Really?" Kyoko said and smiled, her eyes glistening brightly. "My husband used to teach at Tomobiki High School a few years ago. That's where I met him, when I was a student."

This confirmation of what he already feared stung Yusaku's heart further. He lowered his eyes to his tea and glumly replied, "Oh."

They were quiet for a few moments, Yusaku in his misery and Kyoko lost in some long-lost bittersweet memory. Then, she told him, "You know, I walk by that school almost everyday with my dog, Soichiro."

"Oh, really?" Yusaku earnestly asked, perking up a bit. "I…uh…I think I might have seen you around… Your face looks familiar, anyway…"

"Probably," she said, smiling sweetly again. "I have some good memories from that school."

Yusaku grinned and nodded. However, he then stopped recalling that she had called the do Soichiro. "Um…your dog's name…it's Soichiro?" he asked.

She nodded. "After my husband."

"Oh," Yusaku said, something uncomfortable stirring in him now that he couldn't place his finger on. Taking a sip from his tea, he asked, "So…uh…where does your husband teach now?"

Kyoko lowered her eyes now. "He doesn't teach anywhere."

"You mean, he doesn't teach anymore? What does he do for a living?" Yusaku continued to ask.

Kyoko let out a sad laugh and said, "I'm sorry; I should have said something sooner. My husband, Soichiro, died a few years ago. I didn't meant to confuse you."

"Died?" Yusaku said in surprise. He then remembered the letter and Soichiro's name written across the envelope. "But the letter was…"

"Oh, that's right. How rude of me," Kyoko said, extending her hand out to Yusaku. "I forgot to take my letter from you."

"Letter?" Yusaku asked.

"Yes, my letter," she repeated.

Yusaku glanced down at his lap where the letter sat. "It's just that…the letter…"

"Yes?"

"Well…it's…" Yusaku faltered.

Kyoko, noticing a worry darkening Yusaku's eyes, asked, "What's wrong?"

"I…the letter…it isn't for you…"

"You mean, you got the wrong address?" she asked.

Yusaku frowned as Kyoko continued to make the situation even more difficult for him. How did he always find himself in these trying situations, anyway? He sighed, however, and shook his head. "No, that's not it…"

Growing worried herself now, she asked, "Well, then, what is it?"

"I'm…I'm really very sorry," he said and finally relinquished, handing her the letter.

Kyoko glanced down at the envelope. "So…Soichiro?" she said, barely able to comprehend the name. She then looked up at Yusaku. "Where did you find this?"

"It was just on the sidewalk while I was walking…I didn't realize…well…I'm really very sorry," he repeated his apology and bowed his head.

"No…I…it's not your fault. It's just so unexpected…"

Another silence fell between them and Yusaku watched as Kyoko stared down at the letter with sad blue eyes. Finally, Yusaku got up and said, "I should…uh…be going…thank you for the tea, Miss Otonoshi."

Kyoko nodded slightly and said, "Thank you for bringing the letter back to me."

Yusaku left the house then, patting Soichiro on the head with a solemn smile as he walked past him and out the gate.

* * *

Kyoko sat in her living room, still staring at the unopened envelope addressed to her late husband. It had been a few hours since the young teacher had left her with the mysterious letter and it had begun to rain. Yet she still couldn't bring herself to open it. Instead, she sat, gazing down at it with both fear and wonder - a mysterious link to Soichiro; one that could either be a dark secret or a beautiful revelation. Or, perhaps what was more frightening was that it could be nothing at all; some paltry junk mail with little substance about the man she once knew. And with all these thoughts and worries circling in her head, she didn't have the heart to open what was so emphatically addressed to Soichiro. And the simple name of "Lum" was written for the sender, with no actual return address on it.

Outside, the rain slowed down to a drizzle, but the puddles still remained. A blue light formed suddenly in the warm spring air in the front yard of Kyoko's house. Soichiro lifted his head from his dog house to see a woman appear, her foot touching one of the puddles and turning it to ice. Soichiro whimpered and then started howling fearfully as the woman continued to approach, the puddles of ice spreading and engulfing and freezing the entire yard.

Kyoko, meanwhile, lifted her gaze from her letter at the sound of Soichiro's barking. "Soichiro…?" A cold breeze blew into her house and she wrapped her arms around her shoulder and shivered. Then, her eyes widened in horror as she suddenly saw ice creeping through the cracks in the front door and spreading rapidly around her - on the floor, walls, and ceiling. She could hear the ice snapping and breaking the wood of the old house as it traveled through it and the lights soon flickered off as it froze and shattered the electric box in the attic. And Kyoko clutched Soichiro's letter tightly to her and let out a shriek as the frozen door broke open.


	3. Chapter 3

Another chapter and still no reviews! Sadness! Oh, well; considering the fanbases for Urusei Yatsura and Maison Ikkoku aren't that big here in the States, I guess it should have been expected. In good news, I have twenty-one hits as of now for this fic, so I guess someone might be reading…

But as I have put a lot of effort into this story, and as it is already finished, I might as well keep posting; for all I know, someone might be reading and enjoying the story, just not reviewing -wishful thinking, I know, but I'm an optimist at heart, so… Besides, both the Maison Ikkoku page and Urusei Yatsura page are lacking in fanfics, so it's good to see something new up on them.

Anyway, this chapter and the next chapter will also be posted on the Maison Ikkoku page, as they're mostly Maison Ikkoku focused although characters from all three shows (Maison Ikkoku, Urusei Yatsura, and Inuyasha) are featured. After that, it's on to try and tackle the Inuyasha fan fiction page; seeing the enormous amount of stuff posted on that page, I'm slightly worried, to say the least, lol.

But, enough with that! Here's chapter three of Beautiful Darling: The Lum Chronicles. To anyone who's reading, I hope you enjoy!

Chapter Three: The Well that Leads to Rumi

Yusaku could see a commotion outside Kyoko's house as he walked that day toward Tomobiki High School. He paused and stared at the large crowd of people in confusion before walking over to see what the fuss was all about. He could hear Soichiro's barking as he neared and shoved his way through the crowd. When he made his way through the crowd on that late spring day. When he finally reached the front, he gasped. Kyoko's house was completely covered in ice. And Soichiro continued to sit on the ice that now covered the grass of the front lawn, barking and howling with all his might.

* * *

Shinobu slowly opened her eyes to see two people she did not recognize standing over her. One was a man a bit older than her, dressed in purple robes with an odd staff and a set of prayer beads around one of his arms. The other was a young woman wearing a black and pink ninja outfit and carrying a large boomerang on her back. Beside her stood a large, cat-looking type creature with two tails. "Where…where am I?" she asked.

"You're in the land of Rumi, Miss," the man answered, offering her his hand. She accepted it and sat up. Looking around, she saw that she was in the woods somewhere. Then, she glanced down at her hand to see Lum's horn still in her palm.

"Are you all right?" the woman asked. "You've been out for some time now. What happened?"

"There was this light…" she said.

"Well, it's about time you're up," a familiar voice said and Shinobu looked over her shoulder to see Shutaro floating behind her. "We have to find my body."

"Oh, that's right…I'm the Guardian of the Prince now…"

"Guardian of the Prince?" the man asked in surprise.

Shinobu nodded and pulled up her sleeve. "That's what it says here, anyway."

Both the man and woman exchanged glances. "Do you think she could really be it, Miroku?" the woman asked.

"It's impossible, Sango," the man whispered back. "That would have to mean the prince is alive."

"Of course I'm still alive!" Shutaro exclaimed. "Well…I would be, if I could get my body back."

"Um…I don't think they can see you…" Shinobu commented.

Miroku's ears, however, perked up and he said, "I sense an angry spirit nearby."

"Angry spirit? What do you mean angry spirit!" Shutaro heatedly questioned.

"It seems to be getting more hostile," Miroku evaluated. "I should do an exorcism immediately."

"_What!_" Shutaro cried out fearfully.

In a panic, Shinobu declared, "No! No! We need to find his body!"

"Oh, I see; so the body hasn't been properly buried yet. No wonder why his soul has yet to find peace," Miroku reasoned.

"Buried! You mean, in the _ground?_" Shutaro asked with a sickening expression on his face.

Meanwhile, Shinobu persisted, "No, we need to find his body so that we can put his soul back into it. But, you see, this man took it from us…"

Both Miroku and Sango exchanged suspicious glances. "I've never heard of a soul being able to return to its body," Sango said.

"This magical horn preserved it…I think," Shinobu explained, lifting up the horn for them both to see.

The two gasped. "That…that can't be! The horn from the Eternal Goddess Lum!" Sango exclaimed.

"I'm sensing a great power from it," Miroku confirmed.

"Who's the Eternal Goddess Lum?" Shinobu questioned.

"She used to protect Rumi, but then a hundred years ago she killed Prince Shutaro and destroyed the Mendou Palace," Sango explained. "She betrayed Rumi and cursed the land."

"Miss Lum…would never…" Shutaro stammered. Growing indignant, he proclaimed, "Miss Lum would never do such a thing! Besides, I know who killed me! It was that man…that man with the long pink hair who stole my body! Tell them that!"

"Prince Shutaro says that it wasn't Lum who did it, but this man with pink hair who now stole his body," Shinobu quickly explained.

This caused both Sango and Miroku to gasp again. "You mean, the ghost with you is…Prince Shutaro?" Sango asked and Shinobu nodded. "But that's impossible!"

"The spirit is very strong…" Miroku trailed off, growing more and more wary. "And she does have the mark of the Guardian of the Prince."

"What is that exactly?" Shinobu asked.

"It means that you have to _guard_ me and make sure that certain evil murderers don't come and steal my precious body," Shutaro explained crossly and Shinobu gave him a bit of a sneer.

"The legend says that the Goddess Lum chose a Guardian of the Prince for each ruling prince in the Mendou family. When this person died, she would choose another person who she deemed worthy to guard and protect the royal family and would give them great power to do so," Miroku explained.

"Well, I don't feel anymore powerful…" Shinobu commented with a frown. "And what about this horn?"

"It belonged to the Goddess Lum," Miroku reiterated. "It was the main source of her power. She had two of them, so the legends say."

"So where's the other one then?" Shinobu asked.

"It's said she could not stay very long in this world without them so I would guess she's without both of them as it's been a hundred years since anyone has seen her."

"It's probably with that damn idiot Moroboshi," Shutaro bitterly muttered. Then, he forlornly added ,"Well, wherever he is now..."

"Moroboshi?" Shinobu thought to herself, and would have questioned him further if not for the angry sadness in Shutaro's eyes. After all, she guess that this "Moroboshi" was probably dead now, anyway, as it had been a hundred years since Shutaro was last alive.

Meanwhile, Miroku put on a charming smile and gave a bow. "My name is Miroku, a traveling monk and this is my companion, Sango; she's a demon exterminator. And the two-tails is Kirara." He gestured to the cat-like creature standing beside Sango.

"Demons?" Shutaro asked. "There aren't any demons in Rumi."

Shinobu shrugged and said to him, "Well, they did say the land got cursed after you died…"

"Usually we charge a fee for our services, but as this is such an extraordinary exception…" Miroku trailed off, his smile widening.

Sango, however, grew cross and questioned, "Now, hold on a second, Miroku! The whole story seems a little far-fetched, don't you think? How do we know she's not lying?"

"There, there, Sango; don't be silly. A beautiful young lady like her could never lie so outright," Miroku insisted and then fell to his knees before Shinobu. Clasping her hands between his own, he said, "As you are such a noble and worthy girl, being chosen to fulfill the sacred duties of the Guardian of the Prince, would you do me the honor of bearing my child?"

Shinobu's face grew beat red as she turned flustered. "I'm - I'm still in high school!" she exclaimed.

Sango, meanwhile, let out a low growl and glowered down at him. "Miroku, you pervert!' she shouted and hit him hard in the head which was then followed by an indignant Shinobu slapping him across the face.

And Shutaro sighed, rubbing his forehead, and muttered in disgust, "It's like another Moroboshi except less repulsive…"

* * *

Yusaku sat on one of the swings in the park as the late afternoon became evening. He knew he should have gone to work, but he had been so lost after seeing Kyoko's house covered completely in ice that he somehow wandered to the park and sat there, staring emptily into space. How could such a thing have happened? And what had happened to Kyoko? She was nowhere in sight; it was as if she disappeared. He swung slowly back and forth, his feet dragging against the dirt. He wondered if he had something to do with her disappearance. Maybe it had something to do with that letter mysteriously addressed to her late husband. He sighed and miserably kicked at the dirt. Say if something terrible really had happened to her? And that house he had sat in only a day before - how could it be frozen so easily, not melting at all despite the warm spring weather? Yusaku shuddered at the memories.

But as the sun began to set, Yusaku finally rose and began strolling away from the park. He shoved his hands in his pockets and plodded along, unsure in what direction he was going. After a couple blocks, a familiar voice called out, "Mr. Godai!" He turned around to see his student, Kagome Higurashi, standing at her front door, waving to him.

* * *

Yusaku sat in Kagome's backyard with her as Kagome said, "I was really worried about you, Mr. Godai. Everyone was, when you didn't show up to class today. We thought something might have happened to you."

"I…well…" Yusaku trailed off, unable to come up with an explanation that seemed reasonable.

Kagome, in the meantime, pressed her knees tightly together. "At first I thought everyone was disappearing on me. I mean, first Shinobu, then you…"

"Shinobu?" Yusaku asked in surprise.

She nodded gravely. "She disappeared yesterday afternoon after going into the school basement to get some supplies for the archery club. I thought that maybe all the ghost stories the students tell about the basement scared her off or something, but then she didn't show up for class today either…" She looked at Yusaku and detecting the worry in his gaze, asked, "Mr. Godai, is something wrong?"

"No…I…" Yusaku stammered. "It's just that…a friend of mine…she disappeared today, too."

"You don't know what happened to her either?"

Yusaku shook his head. "But her house…"

Kagome's eyes widened and she gasped. "You mean, the house that turned into ice? Everyone was talking about it at school today."

"Yeah…that house…" Yusaku trailed off.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Godai," Kagome replied after a moment of silence. "I hope your friend is all right. Is that why you didn't come to school today?"

Yusaku nodded. "And I hope Shinobu is all right, too," he replied.

"Well, her house didn't turn to ice, anyway," Kagome cracked with a small, sad chuckle. "But I am worried about her. Shinobu's my best friend; if anything were to happen to her…" Not wanting to finish, Kagome stood up and said with as much happiness as she could, "Hey, Mr. Godai, do you want something to drink or eat? I think I've got some lemonade and it's such a nice spring evening."

Yusaku smiled up at Kagome and her sweet efforts to cheer him up. "All right. Thanks." And Kagome then headed into the house, leaving Yusaku to his own devices.

* * *

Kyoko found herself in the woods - a place she did not recognize. But the place was now dead; everything around her was covered in ice. She fearfully looked around and drew her arms into her until she saw a beautiful woman standing in front of her, dressed in a cool blue kimono and her hair made up of ice. "Are you Soichiro Otonoshi?"

Kyoko shook her head and answered in a shaky voice, "My name is Kyoko Otonoshi. My husband's name was Soichiro. But he's…he's dead now. He died a few years back…"

"I see." The woman's eyes saddened, but she said in a gentle voice, "Do not be afraid. My name is Oyuki. My friend, Lum, was a friend of your husband. She had sought out his help in his own world."

"Lum…" Kyoko faded off, looking down at the letter that now sat in her lap as she recalled the name.

"Please, as Soichiro's wife, you must be able to help bring Lum back and wake her from her hundred year sleep," Oyuki persisted, urgently taking hold of Kyoko's hands. "You must find her two horns and go to the Sacred Cave with them so she can lift the curse from this world. Please, do this for me."

"But I…I don't even know where that is," Kyoko answered honestly.

"There's no one else who can; she entrusted Soichiro to this task and now you're the only one who can take his place. She put her faith in him."

"She knew…Soichiro…?"

* * *

Yusaku strolled around the backyard as he waited for Kagome to come back and he found himself stopping in front of an old well. He stared into it, looking down into the dark water and wondered aloud, "I wonder if it's like a wishing well…" Pulling out a 100 yen piece he flicked it into the water and said, "I wish I could find Miss Otonoshi and Shinobu again." The coin plopped into the water and Yusaku sighed as it slowly sunk down into the darkness of the well. Frowning, he leaned his elbow against the well and rested his chin in his palm with a miserable frown. "I guess it's just an ordinary well."

It was then he suddenly felt cold, He sat up and shivered a bit. But the chill grew worse and he wrapped his arms around himself to keep warm. Then, the water in the well start to shook. "What…what's happening?" he wondered. The water suddenly froze, turning to ice in an instant. He let out a gasp and stumbled back as the ice crept out of the well and through the cracks between the old bricks - and onto the grass, slithering toward his feet. "Ice?" he said as the memory of Kyoko's house flashed in his mind. Growing determined and realizing that this was perhaps his one shot to find wherever Kyoko went, Yusaku hastily scurried back to the well and began pounding on the ice, but to no avail. Lifting himself up onto the rim of the well, he began kicking at it, the ice starting to crack under his feet. "Come on…" he muttered, as he continued to kick at it until suddenly he broke through. Unfortunately, he lost his balance and fell through, crashing through the entire circle of ice with his body and falling down into the dark well, the ice hastily following him down it.

And Kagome stepped outside with a tray of lemonade in her hand and blinked in bewilderment at the sight of her empty backyard. "Mr. Godai…?"

* * *

Yusaku landed outside the well as it spit him up on a thin sheet of ice covering the grass. He looked around fearfully to see all the trees covered in ice as well. But Kagome's house was nowhere in sight. "What…what's going on!" he stammered in a panic, standing up and stumbling back as the ice on the grass and trees grew thicker and colder.

* * *

"Please, find the horns of Lum," Oyuki repeated to Kyoko. "And take them to the Sacred Cave. The only one who knows where they are is Soichiro."

"But…but Soichiro never told me where they are," Kyoko said and then gasped, remembering the letter. She quickly tore it open now and unfolded the parchment. And she read from it, "'Dear Soichiro - please find Darling for me. Please find Darling and tell him to find me again. Love, Lum.'" Kyoko frowned and asked. "Darling? Who is Darling?" But when she looked up to Oyuki for an answer, Oyuki had mysteriously vanished, along with the ice that covered the woods.

* * *

Yusaku sighed a sigh of relief when the ice finally retracted and disappeared entirely. But this relief was fleeting for he soon realized that without it he had no way of tracking down Kyoko, not to mention that he had no idea where he was other than in some strange forest. The only thing that looked familiar to him was the well he come from. He walked over to it and gazed down it; it looked like an ordinary well once again, except it was now seemingly empty. Yusaku picked up a small rock and dropped it in the well. He listened for a few moments until he heard a faint thud as he heard the rock hit the bottom of the dry well. He sighed, this time in despair, stepped away from the well and turned around.

It was then that he saw it - a man with long black hair pinned to a tree with an arrow. Yusaku let out a gasp and quickly ran up to the tree. To his surprise, the man seemed to be breathing. Yusaku, trying his best not to panic, took hold of the arrow with both hands and began to pull with all his might. After a few moments, Yusaku finally yanked the arrow free from both the tree and the heart of the young man pinned against it. He stumbled back and fell backward on his backside with a groan, the arrow still in his hand. He then looked up, but saw that the man had mysteriously disappeared. "But…but where'd he go?'

"Who are you?" an angry, menacing voice came from behind.

Yusaku turned his body around when the man he had just freed grabbed his arm with one hand and then pressed a large, thick sword against his throat with the other. "Who are you?" the man repeated more fiercely than before.

Yusaku frantically closed his eyes tightly and blurted out, "My name is Yusaku Godai! I'm just a teacher at Tomobiki High School! Please…please don't kill me!"

"Where is Lum? What did you do to her? And where is Kikyo and Prince Shutaro?" the man continued to wrathfully question, tightening his grip on Yusaku's wrist and pressing the tip of his sword harder against Yusaku's throat.

Unfortunately, Yusaku was at a loss and hastily answered, "I don't know those people. I don't know what you're talking about! I swear! I was just trying to help because I saw that you were pinned to that tree…I didn't mean to…"

"How long have I been there for? How did you get the Sacred Arrow out of my chest? Who are you?" the interrogation continued and Yusaku continued to panic.

"I already told you; my name is Yusaku Godai. I'm just an ordinary school teacher," Yusaku desperately insisted. "And I…I just pulled it out. I didn't do anything special."

"You don't just _pull_ Sacred Arrows out," the man argued, growing more suspicious.

"But that's all I did, honest," Yusaku continued to persist in a shaky voice. "And I don't know about anything else you're talking about. I just came through that well over there only a few minutes ago and I saw you - "

"The well?" the man interrupted. "You mean, you're from Soichiro's world?"

"I…you mean, Miss Otonoshi's husband?" Yusaku asked, still trembling before he began to pathetically ramble, "I was trying to follow her here because the well was covered in ice and her house was covered in ice so I thought that maybe I could find her…and then the ice disappeared and the well seemed to be an ordinary well again and so I turned around and saw you and pulled out the arrow to try and help you. That's all I did. I don't know anything else; I was just trying to find out where Miss Otonoshi disappeared to, that's all. Please, don't kill me!"

The man scoffed in disgust, but lowered the sword a bit. His grip remained firm on Yusaku's wrist, however, as he questioned, "Where is Soichrio now?"

Yusaku gulped, realizing the answer lessened his chances of survival even more. Hesitantly, he replied, "He…a few years ago…he died. That's what his wife told me. I never met him, though." The man grew more angry with this news and the sword was lifted once more to Yusaku's throat causing Yusaku to tightly shut his eyes again. "Please…I really don't know anything else…" Yusaku begged again. "I just was trying to help."

"Don't hurt him!" a familiar voice cried out and Yusaku shifted his eyes to see Kyoko standing in the clearing. "Please, don't hurt him."

"Miss Otonoshi!" Yusaku exclaimed, but the man held firmly onto his wrist.

"Soichiro's wife…" the man trailed off. Then, he grunted in disgust and released Yusaku's wrist, harshly shoving it back to him before disappearing up into the trees.

"No, wait!" Kyoko cried out, but he was already gone.

Yusaku, meanwhile, frowned and groaned as he rubbed his bruise wrist, but was grateful that he was still alive. Kyoko walked over and took a seat beside him on the grass. "Are you all right?" she asked.

His face flushed as he saw her sitting so close to him. His eyes quickly darted away from her and onto his lap as he answered hurriedly, "I'm fine." After a few moments of hesitation, he looked up at her and asked, "Where are we?"

"I don't know, really," Kyoko answered. "A woman named Oyuki brought me here, mistaking me for my husband. He had an obligation to a girl named Lum. She wanted him to find her 'Darling' for her."

"Lum?" Yusaku asked. "That man was asking about her. And a Kikyo and Prince Shutaro."

Kyoko frowned now. "I don't know anything about them. But I was asked to find these two horns that belonged to Lum and to bring them to the Sacred Cave in order for her to wake again so she can take the curse off of this world. It was supposed to be Soichiro's task…" she trailed off for a moment and then said, "It seems so strange, and yet I never knew about it." She was quiet for awhile, something sad stirring in her eyes. But she soon smiled and looked up at Yusaku and asked, "What about you, though? What are you doing here?"

"I…I followed the ice in the well," he explained gesturing toward the well. "I saw your house was covered in ice and so I thought I could find you."

"Find me?" Kyoko asked in surprise, her face blushing a bit.

"No…I mean…I was just curious, that's all!" Yusaku explained. "Not that I didn't want to help you, but it wasn't like…well…I mean, a house covered in ice in the middle of the spring makes people wonder…" The two laughed together with some uneasiness before getting up off the grass. And as they started walking, the man pinned onto the tree watched from above.

As did a black crow a little distance away.


	4. Chapter 4

Hello to anyone who's actually reading! I've moved up to 28 hits so I assume someone must be reading something (at least, there were a couple of hits in the later chapters, not just the first one, so...). And since I'm an optimist and a glutton for punishment, I'm going to continue posting despite the major lack of reviews (as in, no reviews, lol!).

Anyway, to anyone who _is_ reading, thanks so much for doing so! Also, for all you Maison Ikkoku fans, Mitaka shows up in this chapter (yay!). But don't worry, everyone else from Urusei Yatsura and Inuyasha are still in this chapter, too. This will be the last chapter posted on Maison Ikkoku page for awhile (next chapter I brave the Inuyasha page!), so I hope everyone who is reading enjoys!

With that, here's chapter four of Beautiful Darling: The Lum Chronicles!

Chapter Four: The Black Dragon Saori

"So what did you say the name of the man who killed Prince Shutaro was?" Miroku asked as he, Sango, and Shinobu walked through the woods together. Shutaro trailed behind Shinobu, floating as he followed the three.

"Um…I don't know," Shinobu said. "What was his name?"

"I don't know his name," Shutaro answered Shinobu. "All I know is that he has long pink hair and he stole my body. Isn't that enough?"

"Well…it's kind of difficult to figure out where your body is if we don't even know who took it," Shinobu pointed out. "But you really didn't know him then?"

Shutaro frowned now. "I mean…well…I feel like he knew me and I sort of feel like I knew him. I mean…he was…we were…before he…" Shutaro stuttered and faltered, trailing off as his face turned red before he declared, "I can't remember!"

"I didn't know ghosts could blush," Shinobu pondered thoughtfully before telling Miroku and Sango, "He doesn't remember. He thinks he might have known the man, though."

"Well, it's not uncommon for spirits to lose their memories from their lives," Miroku said.

"Hey, I didn't forget anything else!" Shutaro exclaimed. "I have you know I remember everything perfectly. I remember Miss Lum and Moroboshi and my perfect castle. It's just that one little thing I can't remember."

Miroku shuddered a bit. "He certainly is an angry spirit, isn't he?"

Sango then offered, "Well, if he doesn't remember the man who killed him, does he remember anything unusual that happened the day he died?"

"Um…" Shinobu looked up at Shutaro for the answer.

"Unusual? Well, I was going to be crowned king that day," Shutaro said. "And…well…there is one other thing I remember."

"What's that?" Shinobu asked.

"There's this woman…this woman I would sometimes see in the palace…mostly in the mirrors and things," Shutaro said. "I don't know who or what she was, but Miss Lum had whatever it was sealed up by one of her priestesses named Kikyo using the Sacred Jewel."

"The Sacred Jewel?" Shinobu inquired.

"I've heard of the Sacred Jewel," Sango said now. "It was created by a young priestess and the Goddess Lum. But it was lost a hundred years ago, at the same time the Mendou Dynasty fell."

"But what about the woman in the mirrors?" Shinobu asked Shutaro again.

"Miss Lum seemed to know more about her than she told me, but not much," Shutaro explained. "She something about it being the Reverse World."

"The Reverse World?" Shinobu repeated in puzzlement, but neither Miroku or Sango appeared to have any insight on the matter.

"But on that day, an hour or so before my coronation and before I was killed, I saw her again in one of the mirrors," Shutaro said. He shuddered and said, "Whenever I saw her, I always felt like…like she hated me."

"That's pretty bizarre," Shinobu remarked.

"What is?" Sango asked.

"There was a strange woman in the mirrors of the Mendou palace that Prince Shutaro thinks hated him," Shinobu clarified. "She had been sealed up by the Sacred Jewel, but he saw her again in one of the mirrors on the day he died."

Miroku rubbed his chin pensively. "Perhaps a jealous spirit or vengeful demon," he reasoned. "Although, what exactly ties her to the man that killed Prince Shutaro?"

Without an answer, they all fell to silence. After they walked a few more yards, Shinobu asked, "Hey, where are we going, anyway?"

Miroku smiled now. "To visit my old master. If anyone would know how to return a spirit to his rightful body, my master would be the one!"

And both Shinobu and Shutaro exchanged looks of doubt.

* * *

Kyoko and Yusaku walked side by side through the woods, hoping they might run into someone - anyone - that could tell them at least the name of the place they were now in, let alone where they could find Lum's horns, her Darling, or the Sacred Cave. Still, Yusaku was optimistic; after all, here he was on a romantic adventure with the girl of his dreams. What could possibly go wrong?

It always seemed that that kind of thinking lead Yusaku to trouble, and this time was no exception. For as soon as he thought those dooming five words, an angry roar came from somewhere in the trees. Both Yusaku and Kyoko froze. "What…what was that noise?" Yusaku asked first.

"I…don't know," Kyoko replied quietly.

But the ear-piercing roar came again from the sky and both Kyoko and Yusaku covered their ears and cowered. It was then that they saw it - a black dragon swooping down toward them with angry yellow eyes and wrathful fangs. Both Kyoko and Yusaku stared up at the horrifying sight in fear and awe - never had either seen something so magnificent and terrifying at the same time. But this lasted only a moment as the sudden realization of impending danger and death hit them. Yusaku immediately took hold of Kyoko by the wrist and started to run, pulling a startled, blushing Kyoko with him.

Yusaku, however, lost his footing as the dragon gained on them and drew nearer, and he fell, taking Kyoko down with him. The two let out a cry as the fell to the grass and clung to the earth, the black dragon swooping over them, only a couple feet above them and exhaling flames. Kyoko and Yusaku covered their heads fearfully as they felt the harsh wind from the wings throb against them and the heat of the flames above them. But the dragon soon passed over them and Yusaku and Kyoko quickly got back up to their feet, took each other's hands and started running again, this time in the opposite direction. But the dragon hastily swooped around and started chasing them once again, it's speed no much for the frail legs of Yusaku and Kyoko.

And as Yusaku and Kyoko's legs gave way under them once more as the dragon pressed on, they fell to their knees and watched as the dragon opened its mouth and released its flames.

But, to their surprise, a man on a white horse appeared in front of them as their only line of defense. He was in his early thirties, it seemed, and he was dressed like he was some sort of prince. He had his shield raised, blocking the angry flames of the dragon.

The dragon let out another shrieking, angry roar as its feet landed on the ground, ready to battle the man who challenged it. The man smirked, flashing a grin that caused his teeth to sparkle, while his dark wavy green hair blew gently in the wind. He then charged toward the beast, wielding a sword, and slashed his blade against one of the dragon's legs. The dragon let out a shrill roar of pain before releasing another blow of flames. But the man skillfully shielded himself from the flames once more and ran his sword into the dragon for a second time.

Both Yusaku and Kyoko looked on in awe as the man did battle with an actual dragon. Neither were sure if they were more impressed with the dragon itself or the man who so amazingly fought it, but they continued to stare on with unblinking eyes as they watched the fight continue on.

Finally, when the man cut the dragon's wing, the dragon relinquished, flying off with its wounded wing and letting out shrill cries as it did so. The man's horse then galloped back to Yusaku and Kyoko and leapt off his horse. He glanced down at Kyoko and asked, "My dear maiden; are you all right?"

"I'm…I'm fine…" she said, staring up at the handsome young man in bewilderment. "Who are you?"

"My name is Shun Mitaka, a lord of a manor not to far from here," he introduced himself. "Here, let me help you up. I hope you aren't hurt." Before she could say anything, he had pulled her to her feet and her body gently fell into his.

Kyoko frowned and blushed, stepping back from him and saying again, "No, I'm fine. Thank you for saving us."

"Us?" Mitaka asked and then looked down to see an annoyed Yusaku glaring up at him. Mitaka laughed bashfully and rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh, I'm sorry. I guess I didn't see you there." He then let out another laugh. "Are you all right?"

Yusaku grimaced; he supposed he should be grateful, as the man had just saved his life, but seeing as Mitaka still had his hand conveniently wrapped around Kyoko's, all he felt was bitter envy. "I'm _fine_," Yusaku snapped, getting off the grass himself and brushing the dirt off his knees.

"You two are lucky to be alive. If I hadn't come, Saori would have eaten you alive," Mitaka said then.

"Saori?" Kyoko asked.

"That's the name of the dragon - the Black Dragon Saori. We've been calling it that since as long as I can remember," Mitaka explained. "The dragon seems impossible to kill, however. It'll retreat, but it always comes back."

"Um…could you please let go of my hand…Mr. Mitaka, sir?" Kyoko asked with an awkward frown.

Mitaka didn't seem too embarrassed by it, however, and laughed. "I'm sorry," he said, releasing her hand. "My mistake." Yusaku glowered a bit as he glared at Mitaka while Mitaka continued, "Anyway, you look famished; why don't you come back to my manor, miss? I have plenty of rooms and plenty of food. You should rest awhile, at least for the night; after all, nearly losing your life must be pretty trying." Then, noticing Yusaku furiously and fiercely glaring at him, Mitaka smiled and said, "Oh, and your friend is welcome to come to, of course." He then flashed Yusaku a condescending grin, sparkling teeth and all. Yusaku clenched his fists angrily trying to keep his temper, but said nothing.

Meanwhile, Kyoko said, "Well, I guess we could use some rest…and we do have a lot of questions to ask…"

"Then it's settled," Mitaka decided, taking hold of Kyoko's hand again. "You can ride on the horse with me, of course."

"Of course," Yusaku muttered bitterly.

"Now what is your name again?" Mitaka asked.

"Oh…it's Otonoshi…Kyoko Otonoshi."

"Well, Miss Otonoshi," he said, hopping on his horse and pulling her up with him without allowing her to get a word in. He then looked down at Yusaku and said, "You don't mind walking do you, young man?"

"It's _Godai_," Yusaku corrected heatedly.

Mitaka smirked. "My mistake, Godai. Don't worry; I'll try to keep it slow so you can keep up. After all, we wouldn't want you getting lost, now would we?" He let out a chuckle and Yusaku felt his skin begin to crawl as he scowled. Then, looking back at Kyoko who was glancing worriedly at the ground that seemed suddenly so below her as she sat upon the white horse, Mitaka said, "Besides, why would I want to rush a peaceful gallop with such a beautiful woman." Kyoko's face blushed a bit as she added yet another thing to her long list of worries before Mitaka gave a swing of the reins and the horse began to steadily gallop. Kyoko winced and grabbed hold of Mitaka, wrapping her hands around his waste as she tried her best to dismiss her fears that she was going to fall off.

Meanwhile, Yusaku grumbled and kicked the dirt, but reluctantly followed the two as they pleasantly rode together.

* * *

"Rumi?" Kyoko asked. "That's what this place is called?"

Mitaka nodded. "Yes. Although, it is no longer ruled by one person anymore. Rather, the world is in a sort of perpetual chaos ever since the Mendou Dynasty fell a hundred years ago."

Kyoko, Mitaka, and Yusaku all sat in a large dining hall, a grand feast before them. As Kyoko and Mitaka talked, Yusaku bitterly ate his food, jealously looking around at the fantastic room he was in.

Kyoko then told Mitaka, "You see, I need to find a few things in order to fulfill my late husband's obligations. He was supposed to help a woman named Lum."

"You mean, the Eternal Goddess Lum?" Mitaka asked in surprise.

"Yes…I think that must be it…" Kyoko answered. "I'm supposed to find her two horns and bring them to the Sacred Cave so she can wake up again. And she asked Soichiro - my husband - to find someone called 'Darling.'"

Mitaka's face grew serious as he said gravely, "I don't think that's a good idea."

Yusaku perked up a bit now and asked, "Why not?"

"You two are obviously not from this world, but there's something you should know about the Eternal Goddess Lum - she's an imposter."

"What?" both Yusaku and Kyoko asked.

"There is no real goddess, so the legend goes," Mitaka began to explain. "Or, at least, the woman who came down from the heavens wasn't a real goddess, but a demon witch. It was a hundred years ago, when the great Prince Shutaro ruled. He was the last of the Mendou Dynasty - a dynasty supposedly blessed by the Eternal Goddess Lum. During Prince Shutaro's reign, the Goddess came down from the heavens to Rumi, to live amongst her people; the people of Rumi thought that it was to be the Mendou Dynasty's golden age. And the Prince fell in love with the Goddess - the beautiful Goddess who had watched over and blessed his family and kingdom for so long. But, as I already said, the Goddess was an imposter - and on the day the Prince was to be crowned king, the demon witch killed the young prince and destroyed the magnificent palace that had once been the shining glory of the kingdom. And the land of Rumi was cursed for eternity, overrun by demons and chaos. It had been betrayed by their faithful Goddess." Mitaka then lowered his head and coldly added, "We have all been betrayed by her."

* * *

Yusaku sighed as he laid on the bed in the guest room Mitaka had lent him. He stared up at the stone ceiling, examining the different carvings in it. His eyes drifted from the ceiling and toward the grand window draped with grand velvet red curtains and that allowed for the orange light of the setting sun to pour into the room. He remembered that only a few hours ago he had been watching the sun set from Kagome's backyard. And now here he was watching it again, and yet, both times seemed completely different to him.

He felt like the whole day had been some fairytale dream or a bizarre hallucination, from the ice covering Kyoko's house to the giant dragon that swooped over him with fantastic flames and tremendous wings. How could any of those things possibly be real?

Yusaku sat up, still frowning, and stared at his feet as they dangled off the bed. "And what about what Mitaka said…?" he wondered aloud. "Does that mean everything Kyoko is looking for…is it really such a bad idea? Kyoko must be even more confused than I am; I mean, it was her husband…"

Yusaku sighed again and fell back onto the bed. "Could this Lum woman…really have killed the Prince? But how could Kyoko's husband even know about that if it was a hundred years ago?" Yusaku groaned and turned on his side, his head starting to hurt. "Why try to make sense of something that doesn't make any sense at all?" he asked himself. "Princes and Goddesses…it's all so…so weird."

He then heard a thud come from the window. Yusaku quickly sat up, and looked at the window fearfully. But there was nothing there, except the wind blowing the curtains up. Yusaku breathed a sigh of relief. "Just the wind," he said to himself and then joked, "Jeez, Yusaku, this place is making you paranoid." He then turned his head from the window.

To his dismay, he saw the long black haired man that he had freed a few hours ago standing before him, his sword again drawn and pointed directly at Yusaku's throat once more. Yusaku let out an "eek!" at the sight of it and exclaimed, "Why must you keep doing that for!" He then gulped and was quiet as the man pushed the sword closer to him

"The story you heard; it's not true," the man told him. "That damn Mitaka doesn't know what the hell he's talking about."

"Well, that's obvious," Yusaku remarked, indignantly recalling the patronizing Mitaka with bitter jealousy.

"Lum never did any of those things. She wasn't an imposter and she never would have killed the Prince," the man continued, lowering his sword a bit. "I knew her and I know she wouldn't."

"You mean…you were pinned to that tree for a hundred years?" Yusaku asked in disbelief.

The man snarled and pointed his sword back at Yusaku's throat, causing Yusaku to let out a quiet yelp and bite his lower lip. "That doesn't concern you; all you need to do is make sure that Soichiro's wife brings back Lum, do you understand me?"

"Y-yes," Yusaku stammered, fearfully glancing back down at the sword.

"Good," the man said, and, much to Yusaku's ecstatic relief, finally drew his sword.

Feeling a bit braver now that the sword was away from his throat, Yusaku asked, "But if Lum didn't kill the prince, then who did?"

The man became annoyed and crossed his arms "How am I supposed to know? I wasn't _there_. All I know is that she didn't do it. Why is that important, anyway?"

Yusaku frowned at this unreliable answer. "How are we supposed to find Lum's horns, though? Or the Sacred Cave? Or figure out who Darling is and where he is?"

The man scoffed irritably. "The Sacred Cave is easy. You just have to keep heading west from here. At least, that's where it was a hundred years ago and I doubt they'd change that. As for the other questions, I can't help you. Like I said, I've been asleep for a hundred years and a lot has changed since then. I'm guessing, though, if you find Darling, you'll find her horns. I can't imagine who else she'd give them to."

"But doesn't 'Darling' have a real name?" Yusaku asked now.

The man shrugged. "I don't know; she always called him Darling. I never bothered to actually talk to him. He looked like a complete loser, if you ask me."

Yusaku frowned again dejectedly. "Well…don't you have a name?"

"Me?" the man asked and gave a cocky grin. "It's Inuyasha." With that, Inuyasha left Yusaku, jumping out the window at rapid speeds and disappearing once more into the trees. Yusaku stood up and walked to the window, trying to catch a final glimpse at the strange man known as Inuyasha. And he could see that the sun had finished setting and that, although the night sky had appeared above him, the moon was absent an there was not a single star in sight.

* * *

Kyoko sat quietly in her room, rereading the letter again and again. "'Dear Soichiro - please find Darling for me. Please find Darling and tell him to find me again. Love, Lum,'" Kyoko read aloud.

She sighed and placed the letter on her lap. She stared down at it, clamping her hands together. "Soichiro…I don't know what to do anymore," she thought sadly to herself as her hair fell off her shoulders and down toward the letter. "Could it be that all this time you had a whole other life outside of the one with me? How could it be that I know so little about you now? Only a day ago I felt like I knew everything and then I got this letter…" Her thoughts drifted as she stroked her fingers across the words on the parchment. "Do you really such a fantastic life? It seems so unreal to me…and now, Soichiro…what am I supposed to do?" she asked again, her eyes closing halfway as they glistened with bittersweet tears. "Should I really find this Lum again? But say if Mitaka is right? Say if she really is an imposter? But if you were her friend…can I really abandon a friend of yours, Soichiro? And she might be the only way for me to learn about this strange life you lead that I never knew about. But then…say if she betrayed you, as well, Soichiro?"

Sighing again, she stood up and placed the letter on the bed, wandering to the window. She stared out and up at the night sky. "There…there aren't any stars," she said to herself in surprise. "A world without stars? What happened to this place a hundred years ago…Soichiro?"

She suddenly heard a cawing sound from behind and, startled, spun around to see a black crow sitting on one of her bedposts, glaring at her angrily with beady yellow eyes. She lifted a hand to her chest with a small sigh and said to the crow, "How did you get in here?" She stepped toward it when it unexpectedly rose, violently flapping its wings and swishing past her. She let out a startled cry and closed her eyes as it whizzed past her and out the window. "What…what was that about?" she asked in a whisper as her initial fright was replaced by a strange uneasiness. Then, a gust of wind hit her from behind and she grabbed hold of her skirt to keep it from blowing up. She could hear the loud, thunderous sound of wings flapping behind her and her eyes widened fearfully as she turned around to see a black dragon outside the window.

* * *

Yusaku felt his room shake, as if an earthquake suddenly hit the manor. He stumbled, unable to keep his balance and fell to the floor. "What was that?" he asked aloud in a shaky voice. There was the sound of a loud crash and the room shook again as the walls cracked and small pieces of dust and rubble fell from the ceiling. "What…what?" He then heard the sound of Kyoko scream.

Yusaku gasped. "Kyoko!" he cried, jumping to his feet and haphazardly running to the door, trying to keep his balance as the whole manor shook once more. And when he reached the hallway, he heard the shrieking roar of the dragon. He immediately froze, paralyzed with fear as he stood in the hall, the echo of the violent beast's howl stinging him with terror. He didn't stay frozen for long, however, for the whole manor shook again and he slammed into the stone hallway wall with the intense quake, but gripped onto it in order to keep from falling to the floor. Then, he scowled fiercely, a determined glint in his eye, and said, "Kyoko," before charging toward the sound of the violent beast.

* * *

Kyoko sat trembling, cornered as the dragon swung its tail, crashing it into the furniture of the room. Thankfully for her, the dragon was unable to move very well in the small room, even though one of the walls had been destroyed by the ferocious beast when it smashed its way into the room. Kyoko glanced over at the door and in that same instant glanced over at the bed that was now toppled over to see the letter only a foot away from it, lying in the debris covered floor. "Soichiro," she whispered, eyeing the one piece she had to her late husband's mysterious other life. Then, the dragon reared its angry head toward her, ready to crush her with its massive skull.

Kyoko gasped, and hastily darted out of the way, the dragon's head slamming into the wall and breaking the stone. It let out an ear-piercing screech of pain. Kyoko ignored it, however, and ran to the letter, snatching up the letter for Soichiro in her hand and placing it close to her heart. Then, she glanced over her shoulder to see the dragon rising its head again. She gasped again and ran to the door.

It was then that Yusaku swung the door open. "Godai!" she cried, surprised to see him standing only a foot in front of her. The dragon then let out a raging roar and both Yusaku and Kyoko's faces filled with panic. Yusaku urgently grabbed hold of her hand and pulled her through the door as the dragon's head came violently toward them. Yusaku fell hard into the opposite wall in the hallway and Kyoko slammed hard into him as the dragon crashed through the door, breaking a second wall in Kyoko's guest room and causing the whole place to shake again. Yusaku clung onto Kyoko tightly while Kyoko shut her eyes fearfully for a moment as the dragon shook its head, shaking off the last blow to its thick skull. The two remained frozen only for a moment before they started running again. And the dragon turned its head around, spotting them and glaring murderously at them as the ran off. It snarled, its nostrils flaring, and the chase was again.

Kyoko and Yusaku ran with all their might, despite the entire hallway shaking with each monstrous step of the dragon that was so close behind them. However, as they turned the corner of the corridor, the two slammed into a worried and confused Mitaka and fell to the floor. "What's going on?" he demanded, staring down at the two.

Both hurriedly got to their feet as Yusaku exclaimed, "It's the dragon!"

"Saori?" Mitaka gasped in disbelief as the dragon crashed its way into sight, hitting its tail against the walls as it turned the corridor. Mitaka hastily drew his sword as the dragon charged for the three. It cut into the upper part of the dragon's right foreleg. The dragon swung its head back, letting out a shriek of agony as the sword remained firmly piercing its flesh. Without a sword anymore and without a shield, Mitaka gravely looked at Yusaku and Kyoko and ordered, "Run."

And so they did and a few moments later, Saori began the chase again. "I don't understand; I've never seen Saori so fervently intent on killing two people before," Mitaka said as they ran. "Why is she so angry with the two of you?"

"I don't know," Kyoko answered honestly through harsh breaths, trying to keep her strength as she continued running.

"Maybe it has to do with that Lum girl and Soichiro," Yusaku suggested when Saori flew up behind them, crashing into the ceiling above them. The three ducked, falling to the floor to avoid the sharp clothes of Saori's back legs, and covered their heads with their arms to protect themselves from the rubble starting to fall from the ceiling. The dragon then slammed itself in front of them, causing the entire place to shake one more, and let out a terrifying, ominous roar.

It was then that Inuyasha appeared, almost as if by magic to the untrained eyes of Yusaku and Kyoko, with his Tetsusaiga drawn and his face fierce. He wielded the thick, giant sword with ease, leaping up and cutting it into one of Saori's wings. The dragon let out a shriek of pain and staggered back as Inuyasha skillfully landed back on his feet. "It's…it's that man…" Kyoko said in a daze.

"Inuyasha!" Yusaku, meanwhile, exclaimed, suddenly relieved that Inuyasha had his sword, despite the numerous times he had it pointed at his throat over the last few hours.

"You idiot!" Inuyasha snapped, looking over his shoulder at Yusaku with an irritated glare. "I thought I told you to make sure that Soichiro's wife brings Lum back. She can't do that if she's dead, now can she?"

"Yeah, but…" Yusaku trailed off with a frown.

"Man, you really are useless, aren't you?" Inuyasha callously commented and Yusaku glowered resentfully. The dragon then ready itself for another attack as Inuyasha's back was turned, but Inuyasha didn't flinch at all, easily sensing the dragon's attack. He smirked and jumped up, the dragon's head hitting into the floor. Inuyasha let out a sharp chuckle. "This should be a piece of cake," he said smugly as he went to dig his sword into the dragon's back.

However, to his surprise, a light came from the dragon, surrounding it, and blocking Inuyasha's sword. The energy from the magic shield around the dragon blasted Inuyasha backward, slamming him into the wall. "Inuyasha!" Yusaku cried, standing up and Kyoko followed.

Inuyasha groaned and spit a bit of blood. Then, seeing the light surrounding the dragon, he grimaced and said in a low voice, "That isn't any ordinary dragon." He then shot Yusaku a glare. "I thought I told you you're supposed to be taking care of Soichiro's wife; now get the hell out of here!"

Yusaku jumped a bit at the harsh words, then swallowed and nodded with a sheepish, "Right…" He then took Kyoko by the hand and said, "Come on."

"But…we can't just…" Kyoko trailed off, worriedly gazing over at the fallen Inuyasha.

"Godai's right," Mitaka concurred, placing a firm hand on her shoulder. "We have to go."

Kyoko didn't have any time to protest further, for both Mitaka and Yusaku were dragging her away. The dragon, noticing them fleeing, went to follow them. But Inuyasha smirked bitterly and quickly jumped in front of Saori. "Not so fast, dragon," he said, raising his Tetsusaiga again, the dark blood of the dragon already dripping off of it from its previous wounds.

And the last thing Kyoko saw was Inuyasha's black hair turn white and two dog ears form on his head as he fearlessly charged for the beast…

* * *

Kyoko, Yusaku, and Mitaka were outside when they heard a thunderous crash come from Mitaka's manor. The three turned behind them to see the dragon breaking through the roof and soaring upward, roaring painfully and stumbling as it flew, both of its wings badly injured. The three stood silent as they watched it go, disappearing into the starless night sky. Finally, Kyoko asked, "Do you think…do you think that that man…that Inuyasha is all right? Maybe we should go back and look…"

Yusaku shuddered as the thought of Inuyasha's bloodied and torn body flashed in his mind; that was certainly something he didn't want to see. So, swallowing hard, he replied shakily, "I'm sure he's fine…"

"Where did you meet that man?" Mitaka then asked suspiciously, looking to Yusaku as he had been the one who knew his name.

"He was pinned to a tree by something called a sacred arrow," Yusaku answered. "He was pinned there for a hundred years."

"Sacred arrow?" Mitaka questioned. "Those arrows were used only by the high priest or priestess of the Goddess Lum." Then, becoming more severe, Mitaka said, "That wasn't an ordinary man; I don't know what he was, but he isn't human."

"His hair turned white," Kyoko said suddenly. "I saw it, just as we left. His hair turned white and these two dog ears came out of his head…" She frowned and blushed a little at how ridiculous she sounded, admitting, "I could have just imagined the whole thing, though."

Mitaka then rubbed his chin and questioned in perplexity, "But how on earth did he get off the tree?"

"Well, I just pulled the arrow out," Yusaku answered simply.

Mitaka turned to him and raised a doubtful brow. "You _pulled _it out?"

"Yeah," Yusaku reiterated, scratching the back of his head. "I don't know why everyone's making such a big deal about it, though; it seemed like an ordinary, old arrow to me." Mitaka eyed him a little longer before crossing his arms and averting his eyes with suspicion. Meanwhile, Yusaku asked, "But…what are we supposed to do now?"

"I suppose we have to find a way to bring this Lum back…" Kyoko said.

"I already told you that it's not a good idea," Mitaka argued warily. "You can already see what danger you're in now, Miss Otonoshi."

"But I have to now," Kyoko reasoned. "Not only because of Soichiro…but because that man saved my life so I could bring her back. It would be wrong if I didn't help him after he risked his life to help me." She then smiled and, bowing, said to Mitaka, "Thank you very much for the hospitality, Mr. Mitaka, sir. I really appreciate it. And…well…I'm very sorry about what happened to your house."

Mitaka cringed at this, looking over his half ruined house in dismay. He sighed, and rustled his hair a bit, muttering, "I forgot about that…" Then, he turned to Kyoko and asked, "But where will you go now?"

Kyoko glanced down at the letter in her hand. "I don't know…I just have to try and find what Soichiro needed to find, wherever it may be."

"Inuyasha said that the Sacred Cave was to the west," Yusaku offered. "He didn't know much else, but he said that if we went west we'd find the cave. He also said that if we find 'Darling,' wherever he is, we'd probably find Lum's horns."

Kyoko frowned and asked, "Well, which way is west?"

"It's that way," Mitaka answered, pointing into the dark woods. He then lowered his eyes from her and said, "I…I wish I could come and protect you, Miss Otonoshi, but I have an obligation to the people in this area - to guard them from the demons and the Black Dragon Saori. I just hope…that you think this thing through. Remember what I told you…about the Eternal Goddess Lum. If you need anything…you can come back here and I'll help if I can, but I…I can't bring myself to wake the Goddess Lum again…after she betrayed Rumi. I'm very sorry, Miss Otonoshi."

Kyoko nodded solemnly and Yusaku cast his eyes downward. As the two started to walk away, Kyoko glanced up at the sky, and then turned back to Miraka and asked, "Mr. Mitaka…why…why are there no stars in the sky?"

Mitaka gazed up at the empty blackness of the night. "There haven't been any stars for the last hundred years," he answered. "Ever since the Mendou Dynasty fell. That is, except one star about sixteen years ago one spring night. At first we thought it was an omen, a sign from the Goddess Lum that she did not betray us. But we were wrong."

"Wrong?" Yusaku asked.

Mitaka nodded. "The monks and priests of this land said that it was an unlucky, cursed star - one that would bring the devastation of Rumi."

* * *

The woman with long, curly green hair stumbled as she walked through the woods, her clothes shredded and her legs, arms, and forehead wounded and dripping with dark blood. She finally collapsed into the arms of a handsome, white haired man dressed in black royal clothes. "I'm sorry, Prince Yuichi," she said, closing her eyes. "I was supposed to protect you and I failed you. I should have fought harder."

Yuichi smiled, however, stroking her hair. "It's all right, Saori. I'm still fine, aren't I? You haven't done anything wrong. Besides, it is better than you don't show the full extent of our power yet. A danger lies in them learning the truth too soon."

"But now what shall we do, Prince Yuichi?" she asked, opening her eyes and raising her head from his lap only to cringe in pain and recoil back to his knees.

"Now, you should rest; your wounds should heal in only a day or so," Yuichi answered, gently brushing his fingers through her hair once more. "And there is no need to worry; the Prince is dead, anyway, and those unknowing fools are unlikely to find the horns to wake the Goddess Lum again, but perhaps they'll do us the favor and stumble upon Moroboshi for us. Just be patient and wait for now. We'll watch them for now and if they come close to succeeding, we'll intercede and quickly put an end to their plans."

"But…what about our own plans, Prince Yuichi?" Saori asked. "It's been a hundred years and still we've failed. Now, our priest has abandoned us and the Sacred Jewel has been lost. What are we supposed to do?"

"Those things needn't concern you, Saori," Yuichi interrupted. "Our time will come. You served me well, watching that portal to Soichiro's world all these years; now that Kikyo's seal has been broken, things may once again have been set in motion. We should be thankful that it is only Soichiro's oblivious wife and not Soichiro himself that has come back to Rumi." He then dropped his fingers down to her arm and gently stroked the black kanji engraved into her flesh. "Just remember, Saori, that you are the Guardian of the Prince - and you will serve me for eternity."


	5. Chapter 5

Hey, all! I can't believe it! I got a review! Thank you, so, so much, Iluvstaread! I really appreciate it! As for why there isn't any Ranma, I didn't feel I knew enough about the series as I've never seen the anime and have only read one volume of the manga (I think volume 17 maybe...?) a couple years ago to actually write the characters into the story. Besides, in hindsight, I don't know how the heck I would have squeezed any more characters in as there are so many characters already, lol! Sorry about that, though, but I hope you like it anyway!

Now it's time to face the Inuyasha page! It's only for this chapter, though, and then I think it's back to Maison Ikkoku...followed by a few in the Urusei Yatsura section. Let's see how it goes in Inuyasha, though! Anyway, to whoever is reading, I hope you all enjoy! We're up to 35 hits, so someone must be reading something, am I right? Lol! Well, R&R!

Chapter Five: Miroku's Master Sakura

Shutaro sighed as he floated along, following his Guardian Shinobu, who, in turn, followed behind her guides Miroku and Sango. Growing impatient, he asked, "Are we almost there yet? It's been almost a whole day now…"

Shinobu gave him a smile and said, "Why rush when it's such a beautiful afternoon?"

"That's easy for the person with the body to say," Shutaro muttered resentfully. "And why did you have to waste all that time last night; was it really necessary to stop for a whole night?"

"Well, I guess being a ghost, you don't get tired…" Shinobu pondered, placing a finger to her chin. "But if you were still alive, I'm sure you would have appreciated the rest."

"I'm not a ghost," Shutaro corrected. "Being a ghost would require me being dead, which I'm not. I'm simply…a misplaced spirit at the moment."

"But you _were_ killed, so wouldn't that make you a ghost, anyway?" Shinobu inquired.

Shutaro crossed his arms and admitted, "Well, if you want to get technical about it. Still, what was I supposed to do all that time while you three slept? And in the middle of the _woods._" Shutaro shuddered. "I was so bored."

"Sorry," Shinobu apologized with a frown.

"I couldn't even look up at the stars, because there _weren't_ any," Shutaro continued to complain. "Which reminds me - what exactly happened to the stars, anyway?"

Shinobu shrugged. "I'm not sure; that's a good question."

"What is?" Sango asked, looked over her shoulder at Shinobu, who lagged behind a bit to talk to Shutaro, as she was the only one who could see her at the moment.

"Prince Shutaro wants to know what happened to the stars," Shinobu clarified.

"Oh, there aren't any in Rumi," Sango answered simply.

"Well, _obviously_," Shutaro remarked irritably. "But _why_ aren't there any?"

"Now don't be mean…" Shinobu trailed off with a sheepish smile.

Sango, meanwhile, narrowed her eyes crossly. "What did he say?" she questioned with a twitching brow.

Shutaro scoffed bitterly and rolled his eyes while Shinobu laughed nervously, holding up her hands and insisting, "Oh, nothing really…"

"We're here!" Miroku unexpectedly exclaimed and the others looked to see a small house in the woods, a small stream running by it. With a gesture of his head, he told them, "This way." He then proceeded to lead the way, the others warily trailing behind.

When they reached the steps of the house, they saw a tiny old man dressed in monk clothes sitting on the stoop. He ravenously ate from a large bowl of ramen noodles. "Master Cherry!" Miroku greeted the man with a bow and a pleasant chuckle.

The old man - Cherry - looked up from his meal. "Ah, Miroku! What a pleasant surprise! You've grown since I last saw you." He then slurped up the last of his noodles. His face then grew grave and he said, "I fear something ominous is coming."

Miroku knelt down on the steps. "Ominous? What is it, Master Cherry?"

There was a long pause as the others anxiously looked on. Cherry closed his eyes and clasped his hands together. After a few more moments of painstaking silence, Cherry opened his eyes and looked down at his empty bowl and lifted it up toward Miroku. "My bowl is empty. Could you fill it up for me again?"

The four all groaned, Miroku snatching the bowl bitterly from Cherry's hand and standing up. "You haven't changed at all; is food all you think about?" Cherry let out a creaky, high-pitched laugh while Miroku reluctantly walked into the house with the bowl.

"Hey, wait, Miroku," Sango called out desperately, but Miroku had already disappeared into the house, leaving with them the oddity known as Cherry.

Shinobu's expression became skeptical as she stared at the monk and whispered to Sango, "Could that really be Miroku's master?" Sango cringed, but could not find an answer while Shutaro groaned in disgust and slapped his forehead.

Meanwhile, Miroku began filling up the bowl again inside the house. "Why do I even bother?" he said to himself when he heard the doors of the small kitchen slide open. He looked to see a beautiful woman standing in the doorway with a surprised look on her face.

"Miroku?" she asked.

He gave her a smile and said, "Hello, Master Sakura. How are you?"

* * *

Sango, Shinobu, and Shutaro all were outside, still staring doubtfully at the strange monk on the stoop when the doors to the house slid open and an angry Sakura violently glared down at Cherry. "Get your own meals, you deranged monk!" she shouted furiously before hurling the bowl of noodles directly at his head. Shinobu, Sango, and Shutaro all winced as the bowl smacked his head and he went crashing into the floor with a painful thud. Sakura showed no signs of sympathy as she crossed her arms and muttered, "First he steals my lunch and then he has the nerve to ask my student to serve it to him?" She then turned pleasantly to Shinobu and Sango and said, "You two must be Miroku's friends. I am Sakura, a priestess and Miroku's master and teacher." She turned around to lead them into the house, but stopped and sharply spun around. Her eyes narrowed fiercely and she said, "I sense that there is an angry spirit amongst us."

Shutaro looked like he was ready to pop a vein at this and rose an indignant fist. "Angry spirit!" he questioned.

"Very angry," Sakura clarified, whipping out her Shinto priestess paper wand, or onusa. "I must insist you both step back so I can perform a proper exorcism," but Shinobu hastily stepped in and said, "Oh, you must mean Prince Shutaro."

Sakura blinked in surprise. "Prince Shutaro?"

* * *

Sakura listened attentively as she sat in the main room of her home, eating her fourth bowl of ramen noodle and intermittently sipping her tea as Shinobu, with Miroku and Sango, told her Shinobu's story and the sudden appearance of Shutaro's spirit. Shutaro, meanwhile, lingered about the room, pacing back and forth and occasionally interjecting his own comments that he insisted Shinobu reiterated for the others for him. Sakura nodded gravely, slurping up the last of her noodles. Then, she placed down the bowl and her chopsticks and said, "This sudden revelation leaves me worried. I have been sensing that something ill-omened would be approaching soon for quite some time now and this confirms it."

"Something ill-omened, Master?" Miroku asked. "What kind of ill-omen?"

"An ill-omen that stems back a hundred years, it seems," Sakura replied. "The curse that was laid out on Rumi a hundred years ago has now come full-circle and will finish its task; to destroy Rumi."

The others gasped. But Sango shook her head, "You don't know that. The return of Prince Shutaro is a sign that things are going to get better, right?"

Shutaro nodded. "That's absolutely right!"

But Sakura, not hearing him, replied, "He's not back from the dead yet; he's _almost_ back from the dead. There _is_ a difference." Shutaro sneered at this answer and Shinobu frowned when she saw this. In the meantime, Sakura went on, "Furthermore, as you are telling me that it is not the Eternal Goddess Lum that cursed her land, then our opponent is unknown - and successfully defeated our goddess. Moreover, one of the hands that played a part in the destruction of Rumi a hundred years ago has obviously returned to continue what he started as Prince Shutaro's body has been stolen by the same man who killed him."

"But how do we get Prince Shutaro's spirit back into his body?" Shinobu asked.

Sakura smirked. "If you find it, you mean."

Shutaro grew defensive at this. "Of course we'll find it! Miss Shinobu has to find it; she's the Guardian of the Prince!"

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "He's angry again," she noted. "He's an easily irritated poltergeist, isn't he?"

Shutaro scowled furiously. "Is she _insulting_ me!"

Shinobu sighed and frowned. But she returned her attention to the matter at hand and said, "If we do find the body, there must be a way we can put his spirit back into it."

"There's no magic I know that can do that," Sakura replied coolly, lifting her cup of tea and taking a sip. As the others faces dropped in their despair, a glint flashed in Sakura's eyes as she added, "_However_, there is a legend I heard of a sword - a healing sword called Tenseiga. It is the mythical sister sword of the Tetsusaiga, a sword that belonged to the Goddess Lum."

"The Tetsusaiga…it belonged to a man named Inuyasha," Shutaro remembered, racking his brain to recall the details. "I didn't know him well, but he was a devoted follower of Miss Lum. I…I never heard of the Tenseiga, though."

"Prince Shutaro says the Tetsusaiga belonged to someone who was a friend of Lum," Shinobu repeated to the others for Shutaro. "He doesn't know about the other one, though"

"Unfortunately, I don't know much about either one of them, but I do know that that the Tetsusaiga isn't the one who is going to help you. The Tetsusaiga is a sword of sheer force. The Tenseiga's blade, however, has the ability to heal people's wounds - and, supposedly, on certain occasions, even bring people back from the dead. Of course, it is just a myth. After all, we saw how truthful the legend of the Eternal Goddess Lum's betrayal was."

They all frowned worriedly at this and Shinobu, glancing up at Shutaro, said, "But still…we have to try, don't we?"

"Of course we have to try!" Shutaro exclaimed, although there was also doubt lingering behind his glare. "After all, why else would that man steal my body unless there was a way to put my soul back into it?"

However, before Shinobu could answer him, Miroku spoke up, rubbing his chin in deliberation. "But why all of this now? Why has Prince Shutaro's spirit returned and why has a new Guardian of the Prince been chosen?"

"The ominous star!" Cherry suddenly exclaimed, popping up from nowhere. The four jumped back with a startled cry as did Shutaro's ghost. "The star's ill-omen from sixteen years ago has finally found its way to Rumi."

"Ominous…star?" Shinobu asked and Shutaro looked equally confused.

Sakura's brow twitched again as she eyed Cherry, who had inched over to the last of her ramen noodles and scooping them from the serving bowl into her dish with her chopsticks. "That's mine!" she snapped violently, snatching both dishes away from him. Then, she turned to Shinobu and explained, "The sky has been starless ever since the Mendou Dynasty fell a hundred years ago. That is, except one night sixteen years ago when an unlucky star shone in the black sky. It was an ill-omen that something evil would return to Rumi again. I suppose that evil is returning now."

"Unlucky star?" Shutaro said, something familiar lingering in his voice as memories stirred in his eyes. But Shinobu was looking over to Miroku who's expression had been dejected and serious as he gazed down at his palm wrapped in prayer beads with dark eyes.

* * *

Shinobu rolled out the futon in the small guest room in Sakura's home with Shutaro stood off by the doorway, watching her with a bored expression as she did so. "It'll be nice to sleep indoors tonight," she commented. "After sleeping outside last night."

"If you could call _this_ indoors," Shutaro muttered bitterly, folding his arms.

"Well, I guess it isn't much when you've lived in a castle your whole life," Shinobu remarked lightly. "Although, I guess it wasn't really that long considering you were in that darkness for the last hundred years." Shutaro shuddered at this as his face flinched in panic at the thought. Shinobu cringed and said, "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to bring that up again."

"I…it's all right," Shutaro replied hastily, averting his eyes from her as he tried to dismiss the memories from his head for the moment.

"It must have been so lonely for you," Shinobu said. "And it must have been so scary to die." She shivered, but continued, "Still, you must be pretty lonely now. Everyone you know is gone and the only person you can talk to is me."

Shutaro, however, waved her off with a gesture of his hand and said, "Don't be ridiculous; I'm fine. Besides, I should have my body back in no time. And a prince doesn't get scared or lonely - that's why he's a _prince_, after all"

Shinobu frowned doubtfully, but said, "Whatever you say, Prince Shutaro."

He then scoffed and suddenly changed the subject, randomly saying, "It's so ridiculous."

"What is?" she asked, smoothing out the futon.

"An unlucky star," Shutaro said. "It's ridiculous, don't you think?"

Shinobu shrugged. "No more ridiculous than princes sleeping in glass caskets for a hundred years," she said cheekily with a smile.

"Yes, but…" Shutaro trailed off, face growing serious as he looked away with pursed lips.

"What is it?" Shinobu asked in concern, her attention leaving her half-made futon.

"It's just that…there was someone I knew…from the future," he said. "A hundred years in the future. And he told me that he was born under an unlucky star - well, Miss Lum told me, really. She always said that it didn't mean anything."

"That means…this person could be around now, right?" Shinobu asked hopefully.

"No, that idiot couldn't be," Shutaro remarked with a hint of disdain. "His unlucky star was one amongst a million stars still in the sky. And, according to him, I had ruled Rumi for seventy-two years before I died. Obviously, both of those proved to be lies." He scoffed bitterly at his last sentence.

"So he wasn't from the future then?" Shinobu asked.

"I…I don't really know, I guess," Shutaro answered. "But Miss Lum and Soichiro both had gone back to his home with him. And neither of them would have lied to me…"

Shinobu scowled in disappointment as she returned to fixing up her futon. "All of this is so frustrating and confusing to me," she said. "Why do things have to be so complicated, anyway?"

"None of this stuff about Moroboshi matters," Shutaro decisively declared, Shinobu frowning at the unfamiliar name that she vaguely recalled Shutaro mentioning before. "All that matters is finding the Tenseiga and my body. As soon as we find those, then I'm sure everything else will work itself out."

"Unfortunately, we don't know where to start looking for either of those," Shinobu dejectedly pointed out.

"Don't be so pessimistic!" Shutaro exclaimed urgently, growing increasingly unnerved by the constant reminder of his misfortune. "You're my Guardian of the Prince; you should be more enthusiastic about all of this."

"I'm just being realistic," Shinobu replied offhandedly. She frowned, however, the words unexpectedly feeling familiar to her, and said, "My friend Kagome always tells me that, though…not to be so pessimistic." She then sighed dejectedly. "It's only been a couple of days and already I'm getting homesick. I do hope Kagome's not worried about me, though…she must have wondered where I went to after I didn't show up with the bows and arrows for archery club…"

Shutaro sighed in frustration, "I just said to try and be enthusiastic, not wallow in your misery! Besides, if anyone should be homesick, it should be me. Two days, ha! Try a hundred years."

"Well, I did say it must be pretty lonely for you," Shinobu reminded him and Shutaro frowned, realizing he couldn't refute her as he recalled her concern from a few moments ago - as well as his arrogant response to it. Shinobu finished with the futon and picked up the yukata robe Sakura lent her. She blushed and looked over to Shutaro. "Um…could you maybe…turn around?"

Shutaro's cheeks also flared scarlet as he muttered, "Oh…right," and then hastily turned about. Meanwhile, Shinobu started undoing the scarf on her school uniform and taking off her shirt. When she started to pull the yukata over her, Shutaro curiously glimpsed over his shoulder at her to see her back and shoulder blades. Shinobu glanced back over her own shoulder, in which Shutaro's eyes hastily darted back to the door. She grimaced, cheeks reddening further, and bitterly muttered, "Men," before fiercely pulling the yukata up over her shoulders and tying it shut with a yank. "You can look now," she then called out to Shutaro and Shutaro turned around to face her once more.

"Anyway," Shutaro began although his face remained a light shade of pink, "If the Tenseiga is the sister sword to the Tetsusaiga, then Miss Lum should know where to find it."

"But…how do we find her?" Shinobu asked. "Wouldn't she be…well…" she faded off, glancing upward.

"It seems she hasn't been around since I died," Shutaro induced. "The only place I could think of is the Sacred Cave. It's her temple where her most devoted priests pray to her and give her offerings."

"Oh," Shinobu replied as she ambulated toward the window. She grinned when she looked out and commented excitedly, "Hey, this room has got a great view!" She giggled, looking out at the peaceful stream and trees that made up the backyard of Sakura's home as well as gazed up at the late afternoon sky. However, she soon spotted something at the corner of her eye. "Huh?" And she turned her head to see Sango kneeling with Kirara in front of a large, gloomy hole in the earth.

* * *

Sango sat, examining the crater with concerned eyes. Touching her fingers against the rim of the crater, she said quietly to Kirara, "This must have been caused by Miroku's Wind Tunnel…"

"Wind Tunnel?" a voice came from behind and Sango glanced over her shoulder to see Shinobu standing over her, already dressed in her yukata and gazing down at the hole in the earth with a sense of fear. Behind her, but undetected by Sango's eyes, stood Shutaro, an uneasiness also stirring in his gaze as he saw the massive crater.

Sango stood up now and replied, "In the palm of Miroku's hand, there is a Wind Tunnel - a black hole that sucks everything into it. He wears the prayer beads around his hand in order to prevent it from destroying everything around him. It is a very powerful and very dangerous magical weapon."

"That's so scary!" Shinobu cried, shuddering. "So Miroku's Wind Tunnel caused that hole in the ground?"

"I think so," Sango said, looking back at the crater. "He hasn't told me much about it, however, except that it grows bigger and bigger with each passing day - until it will destroy him and he'll be sucked into the void of his own hand."

"Really scary," Shinobu corrected, shuddering again.

"That crater was caused sixteen years ago," Sakura's voice suddenly said, and they turned to see her standing only a few yards away from them. "It happened when Miroku was only a few years old - the night the ominous star appeared in the sky. When it did, that cursed void suddenly opened up in the palm of his hand, creating this hole in the earth and sucking up everything in its path - including his father."

Sango gasped, a painful sympathy flickering in her eyes as Shinobu said in a low, quiet voice, "How horrible." And the memory of a solemn Miroku staring down at his hand earlier that day flashed and lingered in her mind.

Sakura remained stoic, however, and simply said, "He's lucky it didn't kill him. I managed to seal it off before it was to late with those mystical prayer beads, but even then, I knew that it would continue to grow. It was then, though, that I knew how unlucky that star was - and how dangerous it was."

"But…there must be a way that he can get rid of it," Shinobu insisted.

"If I knew how, it would have been gone by now," Sakura remarked. "But that star was the final curse on this land, and the one that will bring its final destruction. And I'm sure that Miroku's Wind Tunnel has something to do with it."

"Poor Miroku…" Sango said sadly, gazing back down at the crater with a solemn look in her eyes.

* * *

Later that evening, Sango visited Miroku's room. "Well, good evening, Sango," he said with a smile that feigned innocence. "And what brings you here at this late hour?" However, upon seeing that she remained lingering by the doorway with her head lowered, Miroku ceased his jesting and stood up. "Sango, what's wrong?"

Sango forced a laugh and lifted her head. "Oh, nothing!" she insisted. "I just wanted to see…how you were, that's all."

Miroku smiled knowingly, taking a seat again. "So you saw the hole out back, then; did Master Sakura tell you the story?"

"No, I mean…that's not why I…" she stammered before relinquishing, "Yes." Her spirit soon returned to her, however, as she knelt beside him and asked, "Why didn't you tell me all that? About the ominous star - and your father."

Miroku smile turned sad as he glanced down at his palm that held his dangerous Wind Tunnel behind his prayer beads. "I don't like to linger on the past, Sango…there's nothing you can do to change it; all you can do is look to the future."

"Yes, but…aren't you worried? If it was created on the night of the ominous star…"

"That's why we need to help Prince Shutaro," Miroku answered. "If he returns, Rumi's curse may be lifted and so may my curse. Or, at the very least, perhaps I can prevent whatever destruction I may cause to this place."

"Do you really think we will be able to bring Prince Shutaro back and return Rumi back to its glory?" Sango asked, worry still circling in her eyes.

"It's the only thing we can do," Miroku said. "This could be our last chance to save Rumi. And if I could free myself from my cursed Wind Tunnel…"

They fell into a long, solemn silence until Sango quietly replied, "It seems so unfair, Miroku," glancing down at her hands that rested on her knees.

"We live on a cursed land, Sango; this must be the curse it has given to me," Miroku said as nonchalantly as he could, but the sadness still lingering in his eyes and voice.

"But…nothing bad has happened to me," Sango reasoned in bewilderment.

Miroku now looked to her with a genuine grin. "Because, Sango, even a curse is no use against the pure heart of a beautiful woman."

Sango blushed and smiled at this sweet, sincere comment - that is, until she felt the lecherous monk's hand stroking her backside. She growled furiously, her face turning red with anger, and shouted, "I think you're my curse!" She then gave him a hard slap across the face that could be heard throughout the house before marching off grumbling, "Stupid, perverted, moron…" until she trailed off into profanities.

* * *

Shutaro stared up at the ceiling in the dark room as Shinobu slept below him; never had he so desperately longed for fatigue than at that moment or realized the merit of sleep to pass the time. But he was, unfortunately, wide awake and incredibly bored with no one to talk to and nothing to do as everyone else had slipped into unconsciousness a long time ago, peacefully enjoying their slumber. He exhaled deeply, floated down to the floor, and started to pace around, rubbing his chin as he fell into contemplation.

"Where could my body possibly be?" he thought. "It has to be _somewhere_. I'm sure Miss Lum would know…poor Miss Lum. How could everyone think so little of such a gorgeous and beautiful woman such as her?" Growing indignant, he slammed his fist into the palm of his head. "This all must be Moroboshi's fault! That idiot must have screwed something up and caused me all this stress! Of course _he_ would set out to purposely make my life miserable!" He frowned, however, and placed his hand on the scar across his throat. "But even that idiot Moroboshi wouldn't really want me to die, would he?" His eyes narrowed solemnly as he found himself becoming more disconcerted as the question lingered.

He then heard a faint sigh come from Shinobu and he glanced down to see her turning over in her sleep. He frowned and crouched down beside her, watching her calmly sleep. Sighing, he asked aloud, "Could such a young, innocent girl really be my Guardian of the Prince? Obviously, Miss Lum meant for it to be Soichiro, but…a pretty girl like her shouldn't be put in such danger. As the Prince of Rumi, I shouldn't allow it." Shutaro frowned, however, and reluctantly admitted to himself, "But how else am I going to get my body back? And she's the only one who can see me, unfortunately." He let out a defeated sigh, and then noticed that around her neck she was wearing the gold chain that had Lum's horn attached to it. "Miss Lum, where could you be? How could you allow such a thing to happen?" He then squeezed his eyes tightly shut and said, "I hope you're all right, wherever you are. I could never forgive myself if something terrible were to have happened to a noble creature like you."

A blinding light then came from the other side of the room. Shutaro immediately stood up and shielded his eyes with his arm to block the brilliant radiance. When the light died out he lowered his arm and gasped. There stood the man who stole his body, sword drawn and murderous eyes glaring angrily down at the unknowing Shinobu, who laid fast asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Hey, all! I'm back on the Maison Ikkoku page, though the next few chapters after this will be on the Urusei Yatsura page. Sadly, no more reviews, but I did a couple more hits...totalling to 37 hits in all; unsurprisingly, I didn't fair too well in the Inuyasha section...

But enough of that! Thanks to anyone who has been reading! And here's chapter six! Some more cameos from the Maison Ikkoku gang as well as some more info on Soichiro! Yay! Anyway, I hope whoever is out there enjoys, lol!

Chapter Six: The Man I Knew as Soichiro

"Miss Shinobu!" Shutaro hastily shouted as loud as he could and Shinobu groggily opened her eyes.

"Prince Shutaro…?" she asked lazily, still in daze from her sleep. Then, her hazy eyes caught sight of the menacing figure hovering over her with a sinister stare and a sword raised directly above her heart. Shinobu jolted awake and let out a shrill cry as the man plunged the sword down. She quickly rolled over, the sword stabbing through her futon and into the wooden floor, the blade only inches from her back. As the man began to try and tug his sword out of the floor, Shinobu scurried to her feet, Shutaro following her. She ran for the door, panting before letting out a terrified scream when she entered the hallway.

She continued running as Sango, Miroku, and Sakura were all awaken from their sleep by her scream, until she staggered outside, her bare feet sliding on the wet grass. She then stopped and looked back to see that there was no one coming through the front door. She breathed harshly, holding a hand to her chest and placing it around her yukata to keep it closed. "Where'd…where'd he go?" she asked.

"I don't know," Shutaro answered, floating beside her.

It was then that the doors slid open. Shinobu let out a startled cry and tumbled backwards, falling out the wet grass. However, to her relief, only Sakura, Sango, and Miroku stood there. "What happened? What's wrong?" Sango was the first to ask, rushing to her side and Sakura and Miroku followed after.

"The man…the man who stole Prince Shutaro's body was in my room," Shinobu answered shakily. "He tried to kill me."

Sakura gasped and whispered, "An evil presence." As soon as she said this and before the others had a chance to react, a pulse of energy hit them, sending them flying back away from the house in different directions.

Groaning, Sakura lifted her head and saw the pink-haired man that had attacked Shinobu and stolen Shutaro's body. "I sense a dark, evil, powerful energy being emitted from that man; we must be on our guard. Do not act careless!"

"Is it a demon?" Miroku asked.

Sakura shook her head. "No; it's something I've never felt before."

Miroku's eyes grew fierce and he went to unleash his Wind Tunnel, pulling the beads halfway off when Sango shouted, "No, stop, Miroku! You'll kill Shinobu, too!"

For at that moment the man was approaching Shinobu with his sword, Shinobu groaning as she picked herself up off from the grass. Shutaro grew furious and shouted, "How dare you attack a woman so shamelessly! And you call yourself a man! There's no honor in murdering an innocent woman!"

The man shot Shutaro an icy glare. "She's your Guardian of the Prince, isn't she? Or have you forgotten?" he questioned bitterly and Shutaro's eyes widened in surprise as he realized that the pink-haired man had heard him. But the man then glared down at Shinobu, who sat up and stared up at the man and his blade with frightened eyes. Growing more wrathful, he once again raised the sword above her and shouted, "It's her duty to die for the Prince!"

As his sword went plummeting down once more, Shinobu lifted her hands out and took hold of his arm, holding it back with all her might as the tip of the sword hung only an inch from her breast. The man grew furious and pushed down harder, and Shinobu grimaced and bit her lip, her arms shaking under the enormous pressure. But she held fast and with all her strength to keep the sword from piercing her flesh. Yet the man's power increased and the sword's blade inched closer and closer; it was only a matter of seconds until the man would succeed and Shinobu's strength would give out.

At that moment, Lum's horn that hung on Shinobu's neck glowed as did the kanji on her wrist, shining bright gold. Suddenly, Shinobu's weak, failing arms grew stronger and soon began to overpower the man who so fervently desired to kill her, pushing his arm farther and farther up along with his sword. "What is this?" the man questioned angrily before murderously eyeing Lum's horn with rage and contempt. With his free hand, he reached out to grab it, but Shinobu released one of her own hands, now being able to hold back his other arm with only one hand, and grabbed onto his wrist. She pushed his second arm up along with the first one, her amazingly powerful fingers clamping viciously into his arms until his arms began to bruise. Finally, the man let out a painful growl as Shinobu squeezed so tightly around the arm that held his sword that his bone began to crack and break and relinquished, dropping his sword. As soon as it fell to the grass, Shinobu kicked her barefoot up and right into his chest, sending him flying backward. He smacked into a tree, shattering the bark on the side he hit it and smashing the trunk inward. He slumped to the ground with a groan.

Shutaro quickly knelt beside Shinobu, who still sat on the grass. "Are you all right, Miss Shinobu?" he asked, leaning over her.

She blushed, seeing how close he was to her, and hastily gripped onto her yukata robe to make sure it was tightly closed and covering her breast. "I'm…I'm fine, Prince Shutaro. But how did I do that?"

Miroku, meanwhile, saw this as his opportunity and quickly stood up, unleashing his Wind Tunnel. As the black hole in his hand began sucking everything in its path, the man growled indignantly and held his arm up to block the force of Miroku's Wind Tunnel while his clothes began being pulled forward. He stood up, digging his feet firmly into the ground as the powerful winds of Miroku's Wind Tunnel began dragging him toward the black hole. He scoffed, glared bitterly at Shutaro as he sat over Shinobu, and then yielded to his inevitable defeat, reluctantly retreating in a burst of light.

When the light disappeared, Miroku rapidly closed his Wind Tunnel with his prayer beads. He then looked over to Shinobu, who was now surrounded by both Sango and Sakura. "That was incredible!" Sango praised. "Why didn't you tell us you were that strong?"

"Because I'm not," Shinobu answered simply as she stood up. "At least, I never was before until now." She then looked down at the kanji on her arm, which had stopped glowing, and clutched onto Lum's horn with her free hand.

"You have been chosen as the Guardian of the Prince by the Eternal Goddess Lum," Sakura began to explain matter-of-factly. "In doing so, she has granted you some of her power."

Shinobu released the horn so she could see it and gently touched it with her fingertips. "Some of her powers…?"

* * *

As the sunlight hit her face, Kyoko's eyes slowly opened. She yawned, raising her head from the grass and stretching her arms out toward the morning sky. She looked around to see Yusaku a couple yards away, leaned up against a tree trunk and still fast asleep. Smiling a little at this sight, she lowered her arms back to the grass, but was a bit surprised when she felt paper instead of the grass. She looked down to see her hand was atop of Soichiro's letter, which still laid beside her from when she had gone to sleep. "Soichiro…" she thought with a frown.

She then heard the sound of a groan and looked to see Yusaku waking, rubbing his soar neck and sitting up straight from the tree trunk. She smiled and said, "Good morning, Godai."

His cheeks turned a slight shade of red and bashfully answered back, "Good morning, Miss Otonoshi."

So the two continued on their journey westward through the woods, to the Sacred Cave in hopes of finding Lum's horns and "Darling" along the way. With noon approaching, however, the two began to grow hungry, Yusaku's stomach rumbling loudly. His face turned bright red and he laughed in embarrassment. "I guess I'm getting a little bit hungry," he joked as he awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

Kyoko frowned and glanced down at her own stomach. Placing a hand over it, she admitted, "I suppose it has been awhile since we've eaten." Unfortunately, as they were stranded in the middle of the woods, there was no more they could do on the matter and thus fell into silence.

But by the early hours of afternoon they thankfully reached a small, innocuous village. "Now maybe we can find something to eat," Yusaku said hopefully with a grin and Kyoko smiled and nodded in agreement. The two then made their way into town and soon they spotted a sign that read, "Maison Ikkoku Tavern and Inn."

"This seems like an all right place," Yusaku said.

"It should be fine except…how are we going to pay?" Kyoko asked.

Frowning, Yusaku fished through his pockets and pulled out a fistful of yen. "Let's see…" he began, counting up his few bills and coins. "Five…six…seven hundred thirty two yen. We could get something small with that."

"Do you really think they'll accept Japanese currency here, though?" Kyoko asked.

Yusaku blushed and frowned again, suddenly feeling stupid. "Oh…right…" he mumbled, shoving his money back into his pockets.

They stood silent for a moment until their stomachs began rumbling again. Kyoko then said, "Well…I suppose we could ask…otherwise, well, I guess I could pawn my earrings and bracelet."

"No, Miss Otonoshi! I couldn't have you do that!" Yusaku hastily insisted.

"But we do need to eat," Kyoko reasoned.

"Well…I can pawn my watch," Yusaku offered, quickly taking off his watch and holding it up for her. They both stared at it for a moment before sighing and bowing their heads in disappointment. With little enthusiasm, Yusaku replied, "I guess we could just go in and ask." Kyoko nodded and the two entered the Maison Ikkoku.

The first thing they noticed was a rowdy, drunk group of customers at a table in a corner by the window. They were drinking to their hearts content, a tall, stoic-faced man, a curly-haired redhead, and a short, pudgy middle-aged woman, laughing and singing loudly. Yusaku sneered a bit at the sight while Kyoko frowned worriedly while the man at the bar called out, "Akemi, you're supposed to be waiting tables," in which the redhead rose from her seat, stumbling a bit and starting to work again with a hoarse, "Yeah, yeah."

"How can anyone be so drunk at this time of the day?" Yusaku muttered and Kyoko frowned further.

The two exchanged uncomfortable glances until Kyoko finally got up enough nerve to approach who both assumed was the master of the Maison Ikkoku. "Um…excuse me…"

The man at the bar turned to her as he rubbed one of the glasses clean. "May I help you, miss?"

"Um…" Kyoko bashfully continued, glancing back an awkward Yusaku before turning her eyes to her feet. "Um…do you accept yen here?"

"Yen?" the man asked in surprise. "I haven't heard that in quite awhile."

Yusaku eagerly stepped forward now. "But you've heard of it?" he asked hopefully.

"Yeah; the old manager of this place used to use it all the time," the man explained. "He hasn't been back in awhile, though. He was getting married and hasn't been back here since." The man then smiled with a short, bittersweet chuckle. "I wonder how Soichiro's been doing these past couple months."

Both Yusaku and Kyoko gasped. "You mean Soichiro Otonoshi?" Kyoko asked with wild, desperate eyes.

The bartender again seemed surprised. "You mean, you know him, miss?"

"Yes," she said. "I was his wife."

* * *

Kyoko and Yusaku sat with the bartender at a table in the back of the tavern, eating slowly and only taking small sips of their drinks as they attentively listened to the bartender. "Soichiro came here a few years back…back when this place was called the Cha-Cha Maru," he began, the fiery light of sunset reflecting off his glass as he took a drink. "He worked for me until we decided to become partners - and we made this place the Maison Ikkoku. He always told me about this other life - this other world outside of Rumi he lived in that he used to visit. It seemed so bizarre, and yet I believed him."

"He must have been talking about Tokyo," Yusaku reasoned.

"Yeah, I think that's what it was called," the bartender agreed. "Said he was a teacher there and that he went back and forth through some well a few miles away. Anyway, he used to hang out with this scrawny perverted kid who used to come into the tavern trying to grope any girl in sight. He's the one who causes all the trouble in this village - everyone knows him. He lives in a small house at the edge of town with his parents and was born under an unlucky star."

"Unlucky star?" Yusaku asked and looked to Kyoko. "Hey, didn't Mitaka mention something about a star…?"

Kyoko, who had been lost in her own solemn thoughts, snapped out of her daze and said, "Oh, yes, I think so…"

The bartender continued, "Yeah, his name's Ataru Moroboshi; I still see him around, though he doesn't visit as much since Soichiro left. Soichiro's probably the only person he acted decent with. The rest, well…let's just say you should see how he treats Lum and she's a goddess."

Kyoko and Yusaku gasped. "You mean, the Eternal Goddess Lum?" Yusaku asked.

"That's right," the bartender confirmed. "We don't call her that around here anymore as we've grown so accustomed to her. What she sees in an luckless idiot like Ataru Moroboshi is beyond me, though."

"But…that doesn't make any sense," Kyoko said in puzzlement. "You mean, you know Lum?"

The bartender nodded. "But aren't you angry that she was an imposter and betrayed Rumi?" Yusaku questioned. "About how she killed Prince Shutaro a hundred years ago and cursed the land and destroyed the Mendou Palace and all that other stuff?"

The bartender let out a sharp chuckle. "What are you talking about?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "King Shutaro reigned for seventy two years before passing on his eighty-eighth birthday. The palace still stands and the land is still thriving after the Mendou Dynasty's last Golden Age under his rule and Lum's protection."

"But…Mitaka said…" Kyoko stammered, her bewilderment increasing as Yusaku looked equally disconcerted.

"Anyway," the bartender went on, not noticing either's unsettling confusion, "Soichiro stayed around here for two, three years; then, a couple of months ago, he went and got married to some girl he met in his own world, like I said."

"But…I was married to Soichiro for two years," Kyoko remarked.

"Was?" the bartender asked. "What happened?"

"Soichiro…passed away. Four years ago," she said, lowering her eyes sadly.

The bartender leaned back in his seat, trying to hide the own remorse that still reflected in his eyes. "Oh, I see. I'm sorry."

"Thank you," Kyoko replied. "I'm sorry, too."

"Well, Soichiro once mentioned that time runs differently on the other side of the well…" the bartender said, fading away as he fell into his own thoughts. After a moment of reflection, he stood up and said, "Well, you two are welcome to stay here as long as you like. We have plenty of room."

"Oh, um, thank you," Kyoko replied, standing up with Yusaku and giving a polite bow. With that, the bartender lead them upstairs to their rooms.

* * *

"It doesn't make any sense," Kyoko said, sitting on her bed while Yusaku began to make his own. "I thought everyone here hated Lum."

Yusaku shrugged. "Maybe Mitaka doesn't know what he's talking about."

Kyoko winced a little, but replied, "Maybe…I guess we'll find out tomorrow when we go see this Ataru Moroboshi…do you think that maybe this might be the 'Darling' Lum was talking about?"

"Hopefully," Yusaku answered. "Although, considering his description, I'd doubt it. What kind of goddess would fall for a guy like that?"

"I guess if she really loved him…though, didn't Mitaka say that the prince loved Lum?"

"Hey, maybe that has something to do with why he was killed," Yusaku suggested. "Because he was in love with her and she was in love with this Ataru Moroboshi."

"Except he wasn't killed; he reigned for seventy-two years," Kyoko reminded him.

Yusaku frowned and sighed in frustration. "This whole thing is confusing me," he said in exasperation as he flopped on his bed.

Kyoko, meanwhile, looked up at the ceiling. "I can't believe Soichiro owned this place. I would never have thought…it seems so unlike him to me…" she trailed off and looked down at her comforter. "There seems to be so much I don't know about him…he had a whole other life that I never knew about. I wonder what he was like here…if he was different than the man I knew." She paused before admitting, "I wish…I wish I knew why he never told me. He obviously had friends and people he cared about here…"

Yusaku glanced over at Kyoko to see the pain reflecting in her eyes. He then laid back and looked up at the ceiling. "I wouldn't worry about it, if I were you," he said, purposely making sure her eyes could not meet his. "Whatever his life was here…he gave it all up so he could be with you."

Kyoko let out a small gasp before smiling, her eyes glistening with bittersweet tears. "Thank you, Godai," she replied softly, running a hand through her finger.

Yusaku's face turned completely red. "I…um…it was nothing," he stammered hastily and turned on his side so that his back was facing her. Kyoko frowned now, slightly puzzled by his embarrassed reaction, but her smile returned with a gentle sigh.

However, Yusaku was grimacing at himself when something caught the corner of his eye. He sat up, mouth gaping open as he looked toward the window. He slowly rose to his feet and walked over to the window, staring out at the night sky.

"Godai…what's wrong?" Kyoko asked in concern, standing up herself.

"It's…it's the sky," he said and then turned around to face her. "The sky is filled with stars." And Kyoko's eyes widened.

And, just as Yusaku said, the sky was covered with bright, vibrant stars.


	7. Chapter 7

Hey, all! Although, sadly, no new reviews, I'm up to 42 hits! Yay! Anyways, despite the lack of reviews, I'm going to keep on trucking! We've now finally moved back to the Urusei Yatsura page, which the next few chapters will be posted on. Also, the last two major players (i.e. Ataru and Lum) finally show up! Yay! So, I hope everyone who may be reading enjoys! With that, I give you chapter seven of _Beautiful Darling: The Lum Chronicles!_

Chapter Seven: The Village Outside of Time

Shinobu had a difficult time keeping her eyes opened as she walked in the small, rural town that early morning, Shutaro floating behind her and Sango and Miroku walking a good distance in front of her. "There's something very odd about this village…" Miroku said. "I just can't put my finger on it."

"Well, Sakura said before we left yesterday morning that this was the right way toward the Sacred Cave," Sango commented. "Although, I do feel that something is a little…off, too." She then looked behind her shoulder to see Shinobu lagging behind. "Shinobu, are you all right?"

Shinobu blushed slightly before running to catch up with them, shouting, "Yes, I'm fine!" However, as they began walking again, her pace waned. She let out a yawn and turned to Shutaro. "Did we really have to wake up at dawn?" she asked him through her yawn.

"_Yes_," Shutaro answered emphatically. "I told you, we're only a day away from the Sacred Cave. And after you all woke up so late yesterday morning, we had to get an early start today."

"That's because we were up fighting that man the night before," Shinobu reasoned, yawning again and stretching her arms out toward the sky. It was then that she suddenly felt two hands press up against her breast from behind. She blinked and glanced downward to see two foreign hands groping her bosom and to hear a high-pitched, lecherous snicker come from behind. Her cheeks turned scarlet as she let out a scream, and then swung her arm behind her, her elbow smacking into the perpetrator's face and sending him flying backwards into a building.

"Shinobu! What happened?" Sango asked urgently as both her and Miroku spun around, ready to fight.

"This…this man grabbed me from behind!" she cried, covering her chest with one hand and pointing a finger at the attacker that now sat a good distance away. He was leaned up against a now broken wall with his head lowered. He rubbed the back of his head as a bump formed with a groan before finally rising to his feet and raising his eyes.

Shutaro's eyes widened at the sight of the face before him. "Moro…Moroboshi…?" he whispered to himself.

Miroku and Sango, however, looked not very amused. "Oh, it's just some perverted kid," Sango muttered.

"He's not very subtle, is he?" Miroku commented.

"Like you're one to talk," Sango sharply countered.

But Miroku laughed lightly and replied, "Now, Sango, I happen to be very subtle." But as she saw his hand went inching toward her backside she let out a furious growl and gave him a slap across the face. As she marched off, Miroku rubbed his sore cheek and called out to her, "Wait, Sango! I didn't even do anything yet!"

Shinobu sighed, glowering once more at the boy, before turning around to follow Miroku and Sango. However, she stopped when she noticed Shutaro wasn't following. Instead, his eyes remained unblinking and were set directly on her perverted attacker. "Hey, Prince Shutaro, let's go."

"That's…that's Moroboshi…"

"Moroboshi?" Shinobu asked, as her mind processed the familiar name.

Before either could say anymore, an angry shriek of "Darling!" sounded and a woman with long, green-hair and horns appeared flying above Shinobu's pervert assaulter, bolts of electricity surrounding her and then striking down on the already injured boy.

After the onslaught of electricity ceased, the boy snapped, "Why the heck did you do that for!"

"Don't think I didn't see you attack that girl!" she retorted back before latching onto his arm. "Now, come on! We're supposed to be having breakfast with your parents, Darling!" She then proceeded to drag him away, much as "Darling" tried to protest.

Shutaro's eyes now glistened and narrowed at the sight of the two quarreling lovers. "Miss Lum…" And Shinobu gasped at the sound of the name.

Meanwhile, Sango had finally slowed down and stopped, turning around as she called out, "Shinobu…huh?" Miroku now stopped himself and looked behind him. To their surprise, Shinobu was nowhere in sight.

* * *

"Dear King Shutaro, glorious king of the Mendou Dynasty who ruled so honorably for seventy two years! We thank you for blessing our land and ask you now to bless this meal before us! May your soul rest in eternal peace! Long live the Great King of Rumi!" Mrs. Moroboshi clapped her hands together twice as she sat at the table filled with breakfast, a portrait of Shutaro enshrined on the wall at the center of the table. Mr. Moroboshi nodded, engrossed in his newspaper, while Ataru and Lum sat under the portrait of Shutaro. Ataru looked bored and annoyed, poking at his food with his chopstick while Lum smiled blissfully, clinging onto Ataru's arm.

"Why do we always have to thank stupid Mendou for?" Ataru muttered irritably.

Mrs. Moroboshi's hair went on end and her eyebrow twitched. "Don't say such things, Ataru!" she cried, pointing a chopstick at the portrait of Shutaro above him. "Do you want his eternal spirit to curse you! My poor son, no wonder why you're burdened with such miserable luck! If only you were more respectful, perhaps you never would have been born under that unlucky star!" She then began to sob into her arms. "Why did I have to give birth to such a thankless, cursed son! Of all the stars in the sky, my son had to be born under an unlucky one!"

"Thanks a lot, Mom!" Ataru snapped sarcastically.

Meanwhile, Shutaro watched from the window while Shinobu indiscreetly peered in, kneeling on the grass to do so as she carefully listened to the conversation unfold.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Moroboshi, but we won't be able to stay for too long," Lum then said. "We have to get going soon."

"I don't see why we have to go to Mendou's stupid coronation; it's just an excuse to watch him gloat," Ataru grumbled bitterly as he began gobbling down his food.

"Because, Darling, it's an important day!" Lum insisted. "Shutaro's going to be king, after all. And it's his birthday!"

"Yeah, yeah," Ataru mumbled.

"This…this must be the day I died then…" Shutaro said, more to himself than to Shinobu. He then frowned and added, "Well, sort of…except it's a hundred years in the future."

Meanwhile, Ataru glared at Lum and heatedly questioned, "Will you let go of my arm, Lum! I hate it when you cling to me!"

"But I'm supposed to hold your arm, Darling," Lum reasoned. "We're engaged!"

"For the last time, Lum, I already told you - we're _not_ engaged!" Ataru shouted angrily, trying to yank his arm from her but to no avail.

Lum grew furious at this and shouted back, "Darling!" before the whole house filled with a burst of electricity, much to Ataru's parents' dismay.

Shutaro chuckled a bit as he watched and quietly said, "Moroboshi…you idiot."

Shinobu frowned now, her eyes lifting from the window to stare up at the standing Shutaro. His dark eyes were glistening and his smile was sad as he watched Lum, Ataru, and Ataru's parents resume breakfast, all too used of Lum's bad temper and consequential shocks. She then lowered her eyes, clasping onto the horn that belonged to Lum that hung from her neck. "Poor…poor Prince Shutaro…" she thought.

"Thanks for the breakfast, Mrs. Moroboshi," Lum said pleasantly as she floated off the floor, dragging a reluctant Ataru to his feet. "Darling and I will be back for dinner later tonight."

The two exited the house from the back door and headed into a valley; Shinobu and Shutaro watched them from the side of the house. Lum and Ataru walked a few yards into the wild grass, Lum saying, "Darling, cheer up, won't you? I hate to see you so down."

"It's just going to be so _boring_," Ataru mumbled. "Not to mention it's going to be all about Mendou."

"Well, it _is _his birthday and he _is_ going to be king," Lum said, placing a finger on her chin. "Besides, I think it's going to be fun."

"Because seeing everyone gushing over Mendou is going to be loads of fun," Ataru sardonically remarked.

"You should be happy for him, Darling," Lum replied earnestly. "After all, you two are friends, in your own way."

"Yeah, yeah," Ataru quickly brushed off the goddess, cheeks turning a slight shade of pink. "Even if we're friends, that doesn't mean I have to _like _the guy."

"Um…isn't that what being friends is all about?" Lum asked innocently.

"Well, you know what I mean," Ataru dismissively replied, although Lum still looked confused. Crossing his arms, he then said, "At the very least, I don't need to hear him bragging and I definitely don't want to be brownnosing that arrogant jerk. He's conceited enough as it _is._"

Lum frowned and said, "Well…as long as you're friends."

"At least there will be free food," Ataru said as optimistically as he could, before deviously adding, "And a lot of pretty girls." His eyes became ravenous at the thought.

Lum grew cross, clenching her hands into fists, and exclaimed, "Darling!"

"Now, Lum, this is Mendou's big day; you don't want to ruin it with your bad temper, now do you?" Ataru remarked offhandedly with a smirk.

"You're the one who should learn how to behave yourself, Darling," Lum bitterly snapped back. And then, much to Shinobu's surprise, the two suddenly disappeared from sight.

"Where'd…where'd they go?" Shinobu stammered shakily.

But Shutaro's sad eyes knowingly looked on to where Lum and Ataru once stood and he gravely answered, "They went through the hole between this time and my own; the hole only Miss Lum, Moroboshi, and Soichiro could ever go through. They went back to the day I was supposed to be crowned king - and the last day I saw either of them until now."

Shinobu was silently for a moment, staring up at the sorrow in Shutaro's expression. She then wrapped her arms around her knees and glanced down at her feet. She said quietly, "I'm…I'm really sorry, Prince Shutaro."

"Huh?" he asked, snapping out of his solemn daze and looked down at the crouching Shinobu whose eyes looked sad and regretful. He then smiled and let out a sad chuckle. "You shouldn't worry about me, Miss Shinobu. I wouldn't want to have a woman get upset on my account."

"Ahem." Shinobu and Shutaro looked to their right at the sound of Miroku clearing his throat and saw both him and Sango standing crossly beside them.

Shinobu laughed nervously and scratched the back of her head. "Sorry…"

* * *

Shinobu, Miroku, and Sango sat on the grass a little distance from the Moroboshi residence as did Shutaro, although neither Miroku or Sango knew it. After Shinobu explained the situation to the two of them for Shutaro, Miroku nodded and said, "I see. It seems to me, then, that this village is somehow outside of time."

"Outside of time?" Sango asked.

"Yes," Miroku reiterated. "Whatever happened in the past has not affected this village; rather, this village seems to have affected the past, particularly this Ataru Moroboshi. He, being the only foreign element that we're aware of, must have done something in the past to cause the fall of Rumi and the death of Prince Shutaro. And, as he has not done it yet, his village which seems to be directly linked to the past and almost seems to be running parallel to it, has yet to suffer the consequences of his actions as the rest of Rumi has. However, if this is the last time he returns to the past , as you said it is, then there should be only a few more hours left, if even that, until the affects of his actions hit this village. At the very least, that's my hypothesis."

"But then what should we do now?" Shinobu asked.

"There's nothing we can do," Miroku answered. "It's too late to stop him from going back and if both timelines run parallel like I believe they do then we won't be able to go back through to change the course of events. Each time we'd just be farther and farther from the moment that sparked the destruction of Rumi."

"Besides, according to you, only the Eternal Goddess Lum, Ataru Moroboshi, and this Soichiro character could go between the different times," Sango added.

"He was the one who was supposed to be Prince Shutaro's Guardian of the Prince," Shinobu explained. "At least, the box Prince Shutaro was in was addressed to him."

"He was from your world, Miss Shinobu, I think," Shutaro added. "He was a good friend - to Miss Lum, Moroboshi, and myself. He could pass through both worlds and through both times."

"Was he at the coronation?" Shinobu asked him.

"No, he wanted to be there, but he had left about two months before it; he had gotten married to a young woman in his own world named Miss Kyoko," Shutaro answered.

Shinobu frowned. "Kyoko…?"

Meanwhile, Sango asked Miroku, "But what should we do now, Miroku?"

"We'll have to wait and see if this Ataru Moroboshi ever returns from the past," Miroku replied.

"Of course he returns!" Shutaro exclaimed indignantly. "You can't just kill someone like Moroboshi; he's like a cockroach, only worse. He can survive anything!" Then, placing a hand over his scarred throat, he solemnly added, "If Miss Lum and I couldn't…out of the three of us, Moroboshi would be the one to survive."

Miroku, meanwhile, stood up, brushing the dirt off his monk robes. "Well, I'm starving; I say we get something to eat ourselves."

"Something to eat!" Sango questioned. "How can you think of food at a time like this!"

"Well, Shinobu said that Ataru wasn't scheduled to come back until later tonight," Miroku replied lackadaisically. "And as there's nothing we can do until he gets back…"

"Hey, wait! Miroku!" Sango called out as he began walking away. Begrudgingly, she rose to her feet to follow.

Shinobu frowned, but got up to follow. She looked back at Shutaro, who was still staring out at the valley where Lum and Ataru had stood only a little while before. "Hey…Prince Shutaro? Are you coming?"

He snapped out of his sad, regretful daze and looked over to her. His gaze was still sad and lost in old memories, but he forced a smile and said, "Right, of course, Miss Shinobu."

Shinobu gave a half-smile and didn't press him any further. Then, the two followed Miroku and Sango.

* * *

"You just take this road all the way down, and then make two lefts and a right and you're right there at the Moroboshi household," the bartender told Kyoko and Yusaku. "It's not too hard to find and if you get lost, you can just ask someone and they'll give you directions. After all, everyone knows the Moroboshi household. Of course, it's mostly so they can avoid it…"

Kyoko frowned and Yusaku laughed awkwardly. Kyoko then said, "Thank you." The bartender gave a nod and then both Yusaku and Kyoko started toward the door.

In the meantime, Miroku was entering, saying, "This looks like a good place to eat…" It was then that he accidentally hit into Kyoko.

"Kyoko!" Yusaku said, quickly rushing to her aid and putting a hand around her to keep her from losing her balance.

Meanwhile, Miroku said, "I'm sorry," and looked down in surprise to see the attractive, flustered young woman. Upon seeing her pretty face, Miroku put on a charming smile and knelt down before him. "Please, forgive me, young lady," he said, taking hold of her hand, "and do me the honor of bearing my children."

Kyoko's face flushed as she stammered, "Wha…what?"

Yusaku, on the other hand, scowled indignantly and released Kyoko, exclaiming, "Now hold on a second!"

Upon hearing the voice, Shinobu's eyes widened and she pushed her way past Sango. "Mr. Godai!"

Yusaku stopped and shifted his angry glare from the kneeling Miroku to the doorway. He gasped and his gaze became one of shock. "Shinobu!"

* * *

The group sat together at the Maison Ikkoku, Kyoko and Yusaku with Shinobu, Sango, Miroku - and, of course, Shutaro pacing behind them. After finishing telling each other what they knew, Yusaku dropped his head a little and miserably put a hand to his head. "This whole thing is confusing me!" he exclaimed in frustration. "And now Shinobu is here; I hope _I'm_ not held responsible just because I'm her teacher…"

Shinobu frowned and patted Yusaku's shoulder. "There, there, Mr. Godai. It will be all right. Besides, I've got super strength now!" And she raised her arm to make a muscle.

Yusaku frowned doubtfully as Shinobu's arm remained scrawny and not very intimidating to the unknowing eye. "Just try not to get into too much trouble…" he muttered hopelessly.

"We haven't, actually," Miroku chimed in, taking a sip of his drink. "In fact, compared to you two, the danger we've faced is relatively mild."

"Don't remind me," Yusaku mumbled bitterly at the recollection of the dragon that had taken them twice as well as his numerous encounters with Inuyasha's sword.

"We still were attacked by that man, though," Sango reminded Miroku. "Are you sure you two weren't attacked by any man with long pink hair?"

Yusaku and Kyoko shook their heads. "No," Kyoko replied. "We were only attacked by a dragon. Well, and that woman named Oyuki and that man named Inuyasha, but they didn't really mean either of us any harm."

Yusaku winced and added, "I hope so," Inuyasha again coming to mind.

"Oyuki was a powerful ice goddess under Lum and good friends with her," Shutaro explained. "And Lum gave Inuyasha the Tetsusaiga; I don't know why he'd be pinned to a tree, though."

"Prince Shutaro says that Oyuki is a powerful ice goddess and Inuyasha owned the Tetsusaiga; both were friends with Lum," Shinobu reiterated for him to the rest. "But he doesn't know why Inuyasha was pinned to a tree."

"And we don't know anything about this Tenseiga," Yusaku replied. "At least, Inuyasha never mentioned it."

"But at least we found one of the horns," Kyoko remarked, gesturing to Shinobu who pulled out Lum's horn from under her shirt. "And we think that maybe the other one is with Ataru Moroboshi as he is Lum's 'Darling,' right?"

"It would make the most sense at the moment," Miroku agreed. "At least, I can't think of who else would have the other one, unless Prince Shutaro has any other suggestions." Miroku glanced at Shinobu, who in turn looked up at Shutaro.

"He's the most likely one, anyway," Shutaro admitted reluctantly, folding his arms. "Lum was in love with Moroboshi…unfortunately."

"Prince Shutaro says that Ataru's the most likely," Shinobu said to the others.

Kyoko sighed and rested her chin gently on the palm of her hand. "So…we'll just have to wait and see when he gets back, then..."

* * *

Ataru Moroboshi groaned, groggily opening up his eyes. He was lying on the grass and he could see a horn resting in his palm with his fingers loosely curled around it. He gasped and urgently sat up, frantically looking down at the horn lying in his hands. "No…that can't be right!" he cried to himself. "Lum…and Mendou…" He shuddered and closed his eyes tightly as the painful memories flashed through his mind. Growing indignant, he rose to his feet and tightly clenched the horn in his hand. "I won't believe it!"

But he gasped again as his eyes caught sight of the night sky. He let out a cry and stumbled backwards at the staggering sight; there was not a single star in the sky. "But…what…what…"

"Ataru! Dinner!" his mother's voice called from behind and Ataru turned to see that he was back home, his house only a few yards away. Visibly shaken, Ataru somehow managed to walk to his house.

When Ataru entered the dining room, he was relieved to see everything in order, including the portrait of Shutaro enshrined on the wall. However, he remained wary as he slowly took a seat with his mother and father on opposite ends of the table.

His mother clasped her hands together and began to say what Ataru assumed would be the usual grace. "Dear beloved Prince Shutaro, so cruelly taken away from our land at the age of sixteen and before he could be crowned king!" His mother let out a wailing sob, but continued and Ataru frowned in confusion, "Please, may your soul find eternal peace and may you grant us some protection from the curse that has now infected our land, however small! A curse on the Eternal Goddess Lum, the imposter who betrayed Rumi and killed our great prince! And bless dear Prince Shutaro's spirit, who was taken from us at such a young age!"

Ataru's confusion, meanwhile, became anger, as he stood up and shouted, "That's not true at all! Lum would never do anything like that!"

"Ataru!" Mrs. Moroboshi scolded. "Don't speak such blasphemy when Prince Shutaro's spirit is before us!" She pointed a chopstick at the portrait that was behind Ataru.

But Ataru shook his head and continued to indignantly argue, "None of that's true at all! Mendou lived until he was eighty-eight years old! He ruled Rumi for seventy-two years! He can't be…he couldn't be!" Ataru gulped and placed a trembling hand over his throat, his eyes glazed over with frightened tears. "You don't know what you're talking about! Lum isn't an imposter! Don't you remember her at all!"

Mrs. Moroboshi, however, began to sob in response. "My poor son, so cursed that he has become so blinded to the truth! No wonder why he speaks such blasphemy against the Great Prince Shutaro and then dares to defend the demon witch who betrayed Rumi! Why did I have to suffer so with this unbearable son; why did he have to be born under that unlucky star? All these years the sky remained empty except for that one bitter night I gave birth! It is the sad curse Rumi and the Goddess Lum have laid out for me!" She then proceeded to drop her head into her arms and begin bawling loudly.

Furious, Ataru slammed his hands on the table. "You're lying! Lum sat at this table only a few hours ago to eat breakfast with us!" He clenched his fingers tightly around the horn in the palm of his hand. Then, with indignant, righteous fury, he stormed out, his mother never raising her head off the table and his father only peeking his eye up over his newspaper to get a glance of Ataru slamming the back door shut.

"I won't believe it," Ataru said once more, his grip on the horn tightening and his eyes burning with stubborn anger. "I'll find Lum and show them! I'll prove they don't know what they're talking about!"

"Um…Mr. Moroboshi?" an unfamiliar voice came from his left and he turned his pained, angry eyes to see an uncertain older woman standing with her hand hesitantly reached out to him. Behind her were four others, three he vaguely remembered from his perverted antics earlier that morning. The woman stepped forward, still seeming timid, but spoke, "I…my name is Kyoko Otonoshi. Lum asked for my husband's help to find you for her." At this, she pulled out Lum's letter from her pocket and gently handed it to him.

Ataru took it with his free hand and glanced over the brief message quickly. He then looked up at Kyoko in surprise. "You're…you're Soichiro's wife," he replied in a shocked daze.

She gave him a compassionate smile, lowering her arms, and clasping her hands in front of her long, pleated skirt. "It's nice to meet you, Ataru Moroboshi," she said warmly with a small bow of her head. "Thank you for being such a good friend to my husband while he lived here."

"But where's Soichiro?" Ataru asked. "And where is Lum?"

"Soichiro passed away…a long time ago," Kyoko answered, her eyes saddening with her sympathy for the distraught young boy. "As for Lum, I want to try and help you find her again, if you let me. We all would." And she gestured behind her at the others.

Ataru looked at the strangers in confusion. He then glanced back down at both the letter and horn that he held in his hand. And a spark flashed in his determined eyes.

* * *

"So you mean he's really standing _right_ _here?_" Ataru questioned nervously with a shudder.

Shinobu nodded. "Right next to you."

Ataru winced and looked to his left with frightened eyes. "Right here?"

"Yep, right there," Shinobu replied simply. The two sat with the others in the field outside of Ataru's home, only a small campfire to give them light with the starless sky hanging over them.

Ataru continued to grimace fearfully as he hesitantly poked at the air. Meanwhile, Shutaro glowered furiously as Ataru's finger went through his leg and jumped back. "Stop doing that, you idiot!"  
"He can't hear you, you know," Shinobu reminded Shutaro, but Shutaro didn't seem to hear as her as he continued to stare down at Ataru in aggravation.

Ataru shuddered again and wrapped his arms around himself. "So he's really standing right next to me?"

"Well…he moved a little because you kept poking at him," Shinobu informed him. "But pretty much. It's no big deal. It's not like he's going to haunt you; he's not even a real ghost technically…he's just, uh…what did he say…?"

"Misplaced spirit," Shutaro reminded her, his brow still twitching as he glared down at Ataru.

"Misplaced spirit! That's it!" Shinobu exclaimed with a snap of her finger.

But, despite Shinobu's logic, the thick-headed Ataru still appeared rather disturbed by the whole proposition of Shutaro's ghost hovering over him at that very instant. Meanwhile, Miroku sighed, rested his elbow on his knee, and tapped a finger on the side of his forehead. "He's not exactly what you'd expect for a goddess to fall in love with, now is he?"

"Definitely not," Sango muttered, looking irritable as she stared at the scrawny Ataru Moroboshi. "He seems like an idiot."

Ataru then snatched Shinobu's arm, pulling her close to him, and Shinobu let out an abrupt, startled cry while Shutaro looked ready to pop a vein. "Get your hands off of her, Moroboshi!" Shutaro shouted fiercely while Shinobu blushed, cringing awkwardly.

Ataru, however, could not hear Shutaro and was too busy examining Shinobu's arm carefully to take any heed of Shinobu's embarrassment. "You really are Mendou's Guardian of the Prince. Then looking up, he stared at the horn that rested on her chest. "And you have Lum's other horn. I can't believe she actually gave Mendou one. I guess it was to keep him alive and, in the end, it really was for Soichiro, but still." Then, he smirked deviously and let out a few lecherous snickers. Still, holding onto Shinobu's one arm with one hand, he reached his other hand out toward her bosom. "I'll just take that off for you…"

A loud and painful slap followed soon after as Shinobu protectively raised her arm across her chest while Ataru's cheek was beat red as he laid sprawled out on the dirt. Shinobu shouted, "I can take it off myself, you pervert!" She then proceeded to do so.

Sango, meanwhile, sighed miserably and muttered, "Don't tell me that all men are as lecherous as Miroku." She shot Yusaku a suspicious glare. Raising an accusing brow, she remarked bitterly, "I bet even you're just like the rest. Don't try denying it."

Yusaku cringed worriedly at Sango's irritable eyes boring into him and cracked out a pitiful, confused, "What?"

Kyoko, meanwhile, gently took hold of Ataru's hand, much to Ataru's and the others surprise. "Please, Ataru; could you tell me how you came to meet Soichiro? And how you came to meet the Eternal Goddess Lum? And what terrible things happened to both her and Prince Shutaro? They were…they were both good friends of Soichiro's, weren't they?"

Ataru eyes widened and his mouth gaped open a bit as he gazed into Kyoko's sad, glistening eyes that were pleading to him. He slowly nodded and replied, "I'll try my best to tell you what I remember."

And so Ataru Moroboshi began to tell his story.


	8. Chapter 8

Hey, all! Not that I've gotten many reviews, but that's all right; I figured I might as well post more because it's been awhile and since I've finished the whole thing, anyway...well, here's Chapter Eight, for all those interested (and thanks to those who have been reading sans reviewing)! Have fun reading!

Chapter Eight: The Clock That Clicks Toward Yesterday

_"Well, I first met Lum at the Sacred Cave about three years ago…"_

Ataru slowly approached the Sacred Cave, eyes widened with an enchanted awe at the sight of where the great Eternal Goddess Lum lay. The sunlight shined down at him that warm spring day, not a single cloud to hinder the bright, fantastic sun.

_"I was going to make my family's annual offering and prayer to the Goddess. I had always gone with my parents, but I was thirteen and finally old enough to go myself…"_

Ataru was stopped at the entrance of the cave by a tall boys with glasses in a white robe; behind him were three other boys dressed in similar robes - a short, scrawny one, an average looking boy with curly hair, and another stocky one with a buzz-cut. The first one with glasses glared down at Ataru fiercely and suspiciously. "Who are you? I demand to know what business you have here before I allow you to come into the Sacred Cave where the beloved and beautiful Lum sleeps!"

Ataru glowered and crossed his arms. "Why the heck should I tell you anything?" he scoffed with a raised eyebrow.

The man's brow twitched. "I am the Guardian of the Sacred Cave, one of the devoted monks to the glorious Eternal Goddess Lum!" He then spun around and looked to the cave, exclaiming, "Ah, beautiful, dear Goddess Lum! You, who makes my life worth living, who has given me life and brought such greatness to Rumi! Even King Shutaro was undeserving of your glory, my wonderful Goddess Lum! I promise I will serve you always, including refusing the entrance of unworthy _idiots_ into your precious and sacred palace!" He stared back at Ataru in disgust.

The curly hair one now spoke up, "But, Megane, I thought we were required to allow any pilgrim into the Sacred Cave if they've come to see the Eternal Goddess Lum…"

"Silence!" Megane snapped furiously. "Do not question me!" The three jumped back fearfully at Megane's violent glare. He then sharply spun back to Ataru and said, "Now, state your business, peasant! Why should I allow someone like _you_ in to the Sacred Cave to grace the spirit of such a noble and graceful creature like the Eternal Goddess Lum?"

"Jeez, I'm just here to give my family's annual offering; what's the big deal?" Ataru questioned offhandedly with a wave of his hand and a yawn.

Megane looked ready to burst a vein. "How can you act so irreverent in front of the Sacred Cave?! It is an honor to stand in the presence of the cave and a privilege to go in!"

"Yeah, yeah," Ataru casually muttered, passing Megane and walking into the cave with a large basket of corn on his back that was for the Goddess Lum.

"Hey, wait a second! I refuse to allow you to enter!" Megane shouted, but the other three monks latched onto Megane.

"Come on, Megane! We already told you have to let him in!" the curly one exclaimed.

"This is the fourth one today you've refused! They can't all be unworthy!" the stocky one chimed in.

"He _is_ an unworthy idiot! Please, forgive me, Eternal Goddess Lum for allowing such a disgrace into your presence!"

Meanwhile, Ataru snorted and rolled his eyes. "What's his problem?" he muttered as he walked through the cave, hunched over because of the heavy corn on his back. "What's the big deal about some stupid goddess, anyway?" He then groaned in disgust. "And why did I have to be the one to bring all this stupid corn?"

Finally, he reached the end of the cave and found himself in a large chamber lit by a few dozen torches. In front of him lay a stone table with a tall pillar on each side of it. Behind the table was a large, beautifully carved, stone statue of the Eternal Goddess Lum.

"Whoa…" he whispered, looking up at toward the ceiling of the massive cavern, although the walls seemed to stretch up for miles. He slowly walked up to the table and knelt before it, dropping the basket of corn on his side. He then proceeded to pile the corn up on the table.

When he was done, he rolled up his sleeve where a few sentences of kanji were written. Reading off of his arm, he said out loud, "Dear Eternal Goddess Lum, please take this offering of corn in the name of the Moroboshi family and bless our health and land for the next year." He clapped his hands together twice and bowed his head.

Then, he let out a sigh and scratched the back of his head. "Well, that was easy enough; not that she's actually going to bless us just because we gave her a bunch of corn, though. I mean, what the heck would a goddess need with a bunch of corn, anyway…?"

He trailed off, gazing up at the magnificent statue of the Goddess Lum. "Wow…she really is pretty. I wonder if she really is that pretty…probably even prettier, considering she's a goddess and all…"

After a few moments of reflection, Ataru grinned deviously and exclaimed, "Now for the prayer!" He let out a few snickers, greedily rubbing his hands together with a mischievous and ravenous glint flashing in his eyes. However, he hastily cleared his throat and clasped his hands together in prayer. Closing his eyes tightly, he said, "Eternal Goddess Lum, I ask you give me a harem, filled with the most beautiful girls in Rumi! No, _all_ the girls in Rumi!" He cackled maniacally before frowning and saying, "Well, not the ugly girls…or the old ones. Just the pretty ones. And make them all devoted and completely in love with me! A hundred of them as my loyal, beautiful concubines, and the most beautiful of all I'll make my wife! That's all I ask for, Eternal Goddess!"

He bowed his head, cracking open one of his eyes to look up the statue. He shuddered and muttered, "I feel like she's glaring down at me…and that she's angry…."

Shaking his head, he sat up straight and exclaimed, "That's ridiculous! It's just a big, stupid rock! This whole cave is probably just a joke, anyway!" He shivered again, suddenly feeling cold, and a bit of panic flew onto his face. "Maybe I should get going…"

He stood up and nervously turned away from the statue and toward the cave exit. After taking a few steps, however, he heard a loud, groaning creak from behind him. He froze and whimpered. "Maybe I really did anger her…" However, he squeezed his eyes tightly and hastily repeated over and over, "It's just a myth. It's just a myth. It's just a myth," as he started hurriedly walked toward the exit. His walking soon became running, and he tripped forward, his arm reaching in front of him in a futile attempt to gain his balance.

As he fell onto his knees, one of his palms also hitting the hard rock floor, he felt his other hand grab onto another hand. His eyes fluttered open in surprise and he lifted his head. He let out a startled cry to see that half of his arm that he had extended outward was gone - he only could see up to his elbow. Trembling and becoming frantic, he closed his eyes again and pulled his arm back toward him, pulling whatever else had latched onto him. Whatever it was came tumbling onto him and he fell backwards.

Laying flat on the stone floor he opened his eyes to see a green haired girl with horns laying on top of him and staring down at him in surprise. "You…you pulled me out of the heavens. How is that possible?"

Ataru immediately panicked as he expression became wild and frantic. "You're…you're…" he stammered as he sat up and inched himself away from her. He then glanced behind him, back at the enormous and intimidating statue. He gulped and bowed his head. "I'm sorry, Eternal Goddess Lum! I didn't mean all that stuff I said! I'm sure you really enjoy your corn! You don't even have to answer my prayer! Just please don't punish me!" He then worriedly lifted his eyes to see her expression, awaiting her answer.

Lum, still sitting on the ground beside him, snapped her fingers and said, "That's right! I have to answer your prayer! And you wanted to marry the most beautiful girl in all of Rumi." She smiled and said, "I guess that would be me now!"

"_What?!_" Ataru exclaimed in horror, backing up a bit. "I can't marry you!"

"Why not?" Lum asked innocently.

"Because you're…you're…" He shook his head and exclaimed, "I don't want to get married!"

"But that's what you said! You wanted to marry the most beautiful girl in all of Rumi!" Lum reminded him.

"Yeah, but…" Ataru trailed off hopelessly. He then crossed his arms stubbornly and raised an eyebrow. "What about the other hundred that will serve as my concubines, hmm? What about that part of my prayer, or did you forget?"

Lum grew cross now, eyes narrowing and sparks flying a bit from her. "What do you need them for when you'll have me?" she questioned fiercely.

Ataru looked a bit nervous for a moment as her eyes dug sharply into him, but he soon became resolute and declared, "I'm not marrying you so you can just forget it!"

Lum, however, rebutted, "But you've already proposed to me, Darling! We're already officially engaged!"

"No, we're not!" Ataru shouted back. "You can't just pick and choose what parts you like and what parts you don't of my prayer! Now where's my harem?!"

Lum growled, stood up, and rose her feet off the stone. She snarled, "Darling!" Ataru cowered, frantically looking up at the Goddess that hovered over him as electricity swirled around her.

"Uh, oh…" He cringed and feared for his life as the electricity went flying toward him. He let out a scream as Lum fiercely shocked him. After a few moments, the shock ceased and he groaned, completely fried as he dropped to the stone ground.

Lum, however, smiled in satisfaction as she placed her feet back on the ground. "Well, now that that's settled." She then frowned, glancing down at Ataru. "Are you all right, Darling? You don't look very well."

Ataru, growing cross, sat up, soot still covering him from the shock. "What do you think I'd be like?!" he snapped, pointing a finger at her. "You just nearly killed me with a bunch of electricity! Are you insane?!"

But Lum simply grabbed hold of his hand, giggled, and said, "Come on, Darling! I want you to show me Rumi and your village!"

"Hey, wait a second!" Ataru protested. But it was in vain, as Lum already lifted herself off the ground and yanked Ataru off the floor, pulling him toward the exit. "Let go of me! I don't care if you're an Eternal Goddess or whatever, I'm not - "

"Call me, 'Lum!'" she told him, turning back around and giving him a warm smile.

Ataru frowned, surprised to see the gentle look in her eyes, especially after her temper tantrum only moments before. "All right…Lum…" Then, realizing she had started pulling him again, he let out a yelp and began trying desperately to pry his hand from her slender yet strong fingers. "Hey! Stop it! Let go…"

"_And so that's how I met Lum._

_"A few weeks later, I found the hole in time in the fields outside my house that led to the past, where both Lum and I met Mendou and Soichiro. You see, Soichiro didn't come through the well during this time; he came through a hundred years ago and then he'd pass through the hole in time to get to my village. We first met Mendou…"_

"Look! It's the Eternal Goddess Lum!"

"Who's that kid with her?"  
"Looks like a real idiot, if you ask me."

Shutaro's eyes immediately widened as soon as Lum entered his throne room, followed by an awestruck Ataru, who gazed around the magnificent palace that he was so unaccustomed to. "She's beautiful…" Shutaro whispered. He then narrowed his eyes and swiftly rose from his throne. He knelt before Lum and charismatically took her hand. "My dear, beautiful Eternal Goddess Lum, it is an honor to be in your presence." He gave her hand a kiss and Lum blinked in surprise. "On behalf of Rumi, I, Prince Shutaro Mendou, thank you for blessing our beloved world for so long and beseech you - what has brought you down here from the heavens that such a glorious creature would grace me in my magnificent castle?"

It was then that the sound of a large crash echoed throughout the throne room. Shutaro's eye twitched as he stood up, casting his white cape behind his shoulder with a swift brush of his arm. Meanwhile, he fiercely eyed the idiot who had managed to break a precious heirloom of the Great Mendou Dynasty that lined the walls - Ataru Moroboshi, who cringed and feebly scrambled to scoop up the pieces. Yanking his sword from his sheath, Shutaro went to shout.

However, one of his knights had already grabbed onto Ataru by the collar, placed his sword at Ataru's throat, and snapped, "Idiot! Do you know what that antique is worth?! You'll anger the spirits of Great Prince Shutaro's ancestors! Now who are you?"

Ataru winced and gulped, looking down at the sharp blade. "Ataru Moroboshi…" he warily replied.

"No, wait!" Lum exclaimed. "Don't hurt him! He's my fiancé!"

"Fiancé?" Shutaro asked in disbelief and looked back to Ataru. "You mean that ugly idiot?" he thought to himself.

"Yeah, you heard her!" Ataru exclaimed.

Shutaro growled, but reluctantly sheathed his sword and ordered, "Let him go, Amane."

Amane glared fiercely down at Ataru, yet did what he was told, shoving Ataru against the wall as he released him. Ataru grumbled and stuck his tongue out at Amane, but then got to his feet, walking over to Lum.

Lum, meanwhile, explained, "Darling and I come from the future - a hundred years from the future. Darling pulled me from the heavens and then found a way here. Now that I'm here, I'm here to help you. I'll protect you and Rumi as much as I can, as your family has always been so loyal to me."

Shutaro grinned. "Ah, I see! It will be a Golden Age for Rumi! Of course, someone as glorious as myself would be honored with having the protection of the Eternal Goddess Lum!" He began laughing pompously while the rest of his servants, lords, and knights began to cheer exuberantly at this new proclamation.

Ataru meanwhile scoffed and raised a brow. "It's only a coincidence that we came here, you know," he remarked. "Besides, Lum's more trouble than she's worth."

"Don't you have any respect at all?" Shutaro questioned. "At least call her Miss Lum, if you're not going to have the decency of addressing her as a goddess."

"She told me to call her Lum. Jeez, Mendou, are all princes so uptight?" Ataru carelessly commented.

Shutaro's face flared with rage. "How dare you address me so informally! It's _Prince Shutaro,_ not Mendou!"

"You have to excuse, Darling, Prince Shutaro," Lum spoke up now, giving a polite bow. "He's a little bit rude sometimes." She then looked up to see that Ataru had quickly maneuvered his way over to one of the lady servants, snickering slyly as he attempted to grope her.

"Moroboshi!" Shutaro exclaimed furiously, pulling out his sword. However, the sight of a wrathful Lum caught the corner of his eye and he turned to see Lum rising, sparks flying from her as her eyes burned with rage. Shutaro frowned worriedly now and swallowed hard. "Um…Miss Lum…?'

"_Darling!_" she screamed before a large attack of electricity filled the entire throne room, shocking all those in it.

_"After that, we met Soichiro…"_

"It seems like an ordinary well to me," Shutaro commented, peering down into the well as both Lum and Ataru stood beside him. "Are you sure you sense something, Miss Lum?"

Lum nodded. "I can't be certain what, though."

Ataru shrugged and said, "Well, we might as well see what's down there." He then went to reach down into the well.

"Moroboshi! Don't be so reckless!" Shutaro exclaimed. "Say if some sort of demon is trapped down there and you let it out?!"

"There aren't any demons in Rumi; don't be such a coward," Ataru remarked, refusing to heed Shutaro's warning as he reached down into the well.

"Coward?!" Shutaro defensively exclaimed.

"Huh?" Ataru said in surprise.

Shutaro grew quiet now while Lum asked, "What is it, Darling?"

"I feel something…a hand…" He then yanked up to see a man about ten years older than them stumble out from the well wearing strange clothes.

The three let out a startled gasp and jumped back. "Who…who are you?" Shutaro asked shakily.

The man looked up, seeming equally nervous. "My name…my name is Soichiro Otonoshi."

_"Soichiro then told us he came from another world - a place called Japan. And we told him about Rumi. Lum said that somehow the barrier between both worlds had cracked and how I had broken it and that it would never be able to be fully closed again, so Soichiro was able to pass through the well from Rumi to his home. He told us that he was a teacher, so he became one of Mendou's tutors at the palace and then opened up a tavern and inn here in this time with the Master of the Cha-Cha Maru while going back to his home. And so time passed and we all became friends, I guess…"_

"I don't see why you had to pick Amane Iseki as my Guardian of the Prince," Shutaro remarked, glancing up from his studies. "Isn't there someone else more worthy?"

Lum smiled, floating at she scanned the top shelf of one of Shutaro's many libraries. "But he's the most loyal knight you have, Shutaro. There's no one more loyal and devoted to you than Amane. He's the perfect Guardian of the Prince."

"I _know_ that," Shutaro replied, cheeks turning a bit pink. "But there's more to being the Prince of the Guardian than just loyalty, isn't there? Other important factors…"

"I can't think of anything else more important," Lum said pleasantly, "Than one's true, sincere feelings for another."

Shutaro's face turned redder as he tried to explain, "What I mean is…well…" Ataru, who sat skimming through one of the books, began snickering at this and Shutaro shot him a glare. "Shut up, Moroboshi!" he snapped before sinking down in his seat and lowering his eyes to his book. He muttered to himself, "The least you could have done is pick a woman…"

Soichiro then gently tapped Shutaro on the head with a book. "You should be paying attention to your studies, Prince Shutaro," he said with a warm smile. "Just because you're a prince doesn't mean you don't need to be educated."

"Yes, Soichiro…" he said, but his eyes wandered over to Lum who had flied over to the far end of the library and was out of earshot.

Soichiro sighed and took a seat next to Shutaro. "You know, Prince Shutaro, there are other girls in this world - I'm sure you'll find one that will make you happy."

Ataru smirked now and remarked, "Yeah, Mendou; I can't help it if Lum is completely devoted to me! It's too bad you can't get your own goddess, eh?"

Shutaro glared angrily at Ataru and grumbled, "Why Miss Lum would fall in love with a perverted, luckless moron like you is beyond me."

"Some people just don't have the charm of others," Ataru jested with a snicker.

"If being a lecherous idiot is considered charming!" Shutaro snapped back furiously just causing Ataru to laugh louder.

Soichiro sighed again and rubbed his head with a frown. "Well…I'm sure Lum can see that special something in Ataru, even if the rest of us can't. That's why she's in love with him, I suppose. Like Kyoko…" He stopped, realizing his mistake, and winced.

Both boys immediately looked to Soichiro in curiosity. "Who's Kyoko?" they asked simultaneously.

"She's…she's no one…" Soichiro trailed off, grabbing some books to put back on the shelf. He stood up as his face turned beat red. "You should really get back to your studies, Prince Shutaro…"

"You mean…you're in love, Soichiro?" Shutaro asked.

"No way! I can't believe it, Soichiro!" Ataru chimed in. "What's she like? Is she pretty?"

"Well…I…" Soichiro stammered. "It's really…" He then dropped the books and frowned, hurriedly picking them up in his embarrassment.

"What's wrong?" Lum asked, now flying over after hearing the commotion of Soichiro dropping a half dozen books on the floor.

"Soichiro's got a girl!" Ataru exclaimed with a laugh.

Lum's eyes lit up. "Really? That's so sweet!" she giggled. Then, noticing Soichiro's face, she laughed warmly and said, "Oh, look! He's blushing!" And the others laughed as well while Soichiro just smiled bashfully.

Then, turning to Ataru, she said, "Come on, Darling; we better hurry or we're going to be late for dinner at your parents' house."

Ataru sighed, mumbling, "Yeah, yeah," while Lum had already floated out of the library. Closing his book he gave Soichiro a smile and said, "Good luck with that girl of yours, Soichiro!"

Ataru then ran out of the library to be stopped by Amane's sword being drawn only an inch away from his throat. He gulped and looked to see an angry Amane glaring down at him as he stood in the corridor outside the library entrance. "Hey…Amane…"

"Just know that I won't allow a little weasel like you to make Prince Shutaro unhappy," he said coldly with narrowed eyes.

"Oh, so you overheard all that…" Ataru faded off before becoming cocky. "Well, it's not my fault that Lum likes me and doesn't like stupid Mendou. Besides, Mendou can get any girl he wants; what does he need Lum for?"

Amane glowered at this, something dark glinting in his eyes. But he sheathed his sword and snapped, "Just forget it," as he turned away.

Ataru frowned. "Amane…" he began.

In curiosity, he reached a hand out as if to follow him, but Lum called out from the end of the hall, "Darling!"

He looked over at Lum, who was happily waving at him, and then glanced back at Amane's angry face that still had something dark stirring in it. Worriedly, he called back, "Coming!" Then, he hastily made his way toward Lum.


	9. Chapter 9

Hey, all! Despite having received _only one review_ and only getting one hit for the last chapter, I'm still going to keep on trucking and posting. Although it seems I'm mostly talking to myself, I will say that I'm thinking maybe I'll post this on and just change the names up as it is pretty much a stand alone AU story (which may be the problem to begin with). But, anyway, since there was one person who at least _looked_ at the last chapter and may be reading, I figured I should post the next chapter just in case they really are interested...and because I'm a glutton for punishment. So, to anyone who's out there and wants to read, here's chapter nine of _Beautiful Darling: The Lum Chronicles!_

Chapter Nine: The Day Rumi Died

_"It was about six months before Mendou's coronation when he started seeing this woman in the mirror. That's when all the trouble really started…."_

"I'm telling you, there was a woman in the mirror," Shutaro said as he stood in his bedroom with Ataru, Lum, Soichiro, and Amane. "She was glaring at me. This isn't the first time I saw her."

"A woman…?" Soichiro asked in surprise, glancing over at the now seemingly ordinary mirror.

Ataru snickered as he approached the mirror. "I wish I woke up to see a beautiful woman in my mirror," he said.

Lum scowled. "Darling!" Ataru winced, but, seeing as there was no woman in the mirror at the moment, chose to back off to avoid an unnecessary shocking.

"The mirror is obviously cursed," Amane declared. "We should destroy it at once."

"It's not just this mirror," Shutaro explained. "I've seen her…throughout the palace. I think…I think she hates me."

"Don't you think you're overreacting?" Ataru questioned.

"I'm being serious!" Shutaro retorted.

Ataru frowned and glanced back over at the mirror. "Well, maybe then the whole palace is cursed. Or haunted…"

_"The appearances of the woman became more and more frequent and Lum said she sensed some evil presence in the palace that needed to be sealed off. She sent for her highest priestess, Kikyo, who created this magical jewel called the Sacred Jewel with Lum…"_

"I've brought her," Inuyasha said as he entered Shutaro's main chambers where Lum, Ataru, Shutaro, Amane, and Soichiro had all gathered once again. He stepped aside to reveal Kikyo.

She bowed before both Lum and Shutaro and said, "Eternal Goddess Lum, Prince Shutaro; I have come to serve you."

"Kikyo, I need you to help me seal off an evil spirit in this palace," Lum began. "Can you sense it?"

Kikyo nodded. "Yes. It's very strong and very angry. We should act fast." She then proceeded to raise her hands toward the mirror. "This is the source. On behalf of the Eternal Goddess Lum, I seal the evil in this palace so it can never pass into Rumi again." A light burst from her palms and headed toward the mirror. At this, a sudden black energy shot out from the mirror to counter Kikyo's light. Kikyo grimaced, trying her best to hold her ground against the powerful energy as the lights in the room went out and the windows and glass in the room shattered.

"Kikyo!" Inuyasha cried, but then lifted an arm to brace himself against the dark energy that was letting out powerful gusts of wind throughout the room.

It was then that the woman appeared in the mirror, a fierce look of anger in her eyes as she murderously and icily stared at all of them. "It's…it's that woman!" Shutaro shouted.

Kikyo gasped and felt herself begin to falter, but Lum own eyes became narrowed and resolute as she flew behind Kikyo, a large, white light bursting from her. She lifted both her arms to Kikyo's, which had begun to slowly drop with the pressure. "Lum…?" Kikyo whispered in awe as she felt the Goddess's calm spirit and energy flow into her and into her hands. Kikyo clenched her teeth, feeling the same determination that Lum felt and her arms began rigid and steadfast once again, the light pouring out of her palms becoming brighter and joining with Lum's. The light combined to form a small sphere of light hanging right in front of Kikyo's hands. From the sphere came another pulse of light and energy and the black energy was pushed back until it smashed into the mirror, shattering into pieces. The black energy died and the light faded until a small glass jewel appeared that fell to the floor and rolled to Kikyo's feet. Then, all was silent for a moment.

Kikyo breathed harshly and finally lowered her hands. Noticing the jewel she bent down and picked it up. "What…what is it?"

"It's a Sacred Jewel," Lum replied. "A magical jewel that is a combination of my spirit and my high priestess's energy. It is very powerful and very dangerous." Kikyo nodded and handed it to Lum. "Whenever you need it, it will now come to your aid as long as it remains in my possession," Lum continued as she clutched it and it disappeared into the palm of her hand.

"Who…who was that woman?" Shutaro then asked, staring at his shattered mirror with eyes that were still frightened.

"She comes from the Reverse World," Lum answered, something dark in her gaze as she averted it from the others.

"The Reverse World?" Ataru asked. "What's that?"

"Nothing you need to worry about, Darling," Lum replied and nothing more was said on the matter.

_"After that, a few months later, Soichiro left."_

"I don't mean to leave you all," Soichiro explained as he stood beside the well with Lum, Ataru, and Shutaro. "It's just that, I'm getting married now…"

"We understand, Soichiro," Lum interrupted with a smile. "After all, you've got an important duty now to Kyoko." She then glared over at Ataru and added, "If only Darling could realize the importance of a husband's duty to his wife."

"How many times do I have to tell you we're not married?!" Ataru shouted.

"Darling, stop being so difficult!" Lum shouted back.

Meanwhile, Soichiro laughed good-naturedly. "I will miss your bickering."

"It's a shame, though, that none of us will never get to meet your wife," Shutaro then said, rubbing his chin.

"Yeah, I wonder what she's like…" Ataru added.

"I'd hope you'd have enough decency to leave a married woman alone, Moroboshi," Shutaro remarked. "Especially Soichiro's wife."

"I never said I was going to do anything!" Ataru insisted with a sly snicker.

"You better not!" Lum added, growing angry once more.

"Maybe one day I'll bring her here," Soichiro replied warmly. "Maybe after we've been married for a few years." He then laughed and scratched the back of his head. "She'd probably think I was crazy, though!" He then sighed and said, "Well, I suppose this is it. You three better behave yourselves." He laughed warmly again before turning to Shutaro. "You keep up with your studies, Prince Shutaro; I'm sorry I won't be able to be here for your sixteenth birthday and your coronation, but I'm sure you'll make a great king."

"Is there any doubt?" Shutaro replied smugly but gave Soichiro a genuine smile.

"It's better you don't come; he'll have enough people stroking his ego - he doesn't need another one," Ataru joked.

"Who asked you?!" Shutaro snapped.

Soichiro laughed and turned to Ataru. "And try to keep out of trouble, Ataru. You have to be extra-careful, after all, being born under an unlucky star and all."

"It has nothing to do with the star; Darling causes his own trouble," Lum remarked.

"More like _you_ do," Ataru countered and Lum scowled.

Soichiro smiled and replied, "And try to be a little nicer to Lum every once in awhile." He then turned to Lum and said, "And, of course, Lum. Try to be patient. I know these two can be a handful sometimes."

"Hey!" both boys protested and Soichiro chuckled boisterously.

Lum's eyes filled with tears as she let out a cry. "Goodbye, Soichiro!" she exclaimed, flying over to him and embracing him tightly. "We'll all miss you! Please take care! And be happy! I'm sure you and Kyoko will live happily together for a long time."

"Thank you, Lum," he said, gently stroking her hair. "As I am sure you and Ataru will."

"And congratulations on your marriage," Shutaro added. "And thank you for being my teacher these last couple years."

"You're welcome, Prince Shutaro," Soichiro answered as he still held the gently crying goddess in his arms.

Ataru rubbed the back of his neck and sniffled a bit. "And…well…thanks for just putting up with me, Soichiro."

"I was glad to," Soichiro sincerely told him. "Goodbye to all of you. And good luck to you; I'm sure you'll all be fine."

_"And with that, Soichiro left Rumi. Then, the morning of Mendou's coronation was when the bad things started happening again…"_

"I'm telling you, I saw her again," Shutaro insisted as he stood in his room with Ataru, Lum, and Amane, dressed in his finest white attire and jewels. There was something trembling in his voice as he continued, "She was in my mirror."

"It will be all right, Shutaro," Lum insisted. "Even if you saw her, she's been sealed. It would be almost impossible for her to fully break out without the Sacred Jewel now." She then lowered her eyes. "Still, she may have been more powerful than I thought…"

"Perhaps there's nothing that can be done," Amane spoke up suddenly, a distant look in his eyes as he glared down at his sword and the kanji on his wrist that read "Guardian of the Prince." He then continued, "Perhaps it is inevitable that she will continue returning until she destroys Prince Shutaro. Perhaps it's just fate."

"What are you saying?" Lum asked, her own voice shaking.

"No way!" Ataru exclaimed. "Mendou rules for seventy-two years until he's eighty-eight years old; nothing bad's going to happen to him." The solemn looks making Ataru uncomfortable, he gave Shutaro a nudge and said, "Jeez, Mendou, lighten up! You're going to be fine! After all, it is your birthday and you're going to be king! Don't you have some bragging to do? Don't keep moping. I already told you it's going to be fine."

"Darling's right, I guess…" Lum said, although she seemed doubtful. "You do rule for a very long time, though, Shutaro, so you really shouldn't worry."

"Don't worry; I'll take care of Prince Shutaro," Amane said suddenly. "It's my duty as the Guardian of the Prince to do so. You should find Kikyo again, Lum, and try to see if you can reseal the palace from the Reverse World once more before the coronation."

"Yes, you're right," Lum agreed. "She should be heading here to see the coronation, anyway. If not, I'll send for my messenger. Once Inuyasha arrives, I'll send him to find Kikyo. He usually knows where she is." She then gave Ataru a gesture. "Come on, Darling." As the two passed Amane, Lum placed a hand on Amane's shoulder, "Please do all you can to take care of Prince Shutaro, Amane; I have a very bad feeling…"

"I…I will try my best," Amane stammered. He then became more resolute and said, "You know my heart belongs to my duty to protect Prince Shutaro always."

"I know," Lum answered as she left.

Ataru gave one more worried glance over at Amane, who looked troubled as he gazed back down at his sword once again, and then gave Shutaro a goofy grin and exclaimed, "See you at your coronation, Mendou!"

Surprised by this seemingly sincere goodbye, Shutaro lifted his hand to give Ataru a small wave as he said, "Oh…uh…goodbye, Moroboshi."

Ataru then went out of the room to follow Lum. However, something caught his eye and he turned to see a beautiful woman with curly dark green hair standing only a little while away, smirking at him. Ataru grinned, hastily glanced back at Lum. Seeing that she was so far off and not paying attention to him at the moment, Ataru snickered and rubbed his hands together. He then tiptoed over to the woman who was smirking, her eyes deviously beckoning him to her.

"Hello, miss," he began, a few more high-pitched snickers escaping his lips. "Can I help you with something?" He snickered again, reaching out to grab at her, but she quickly stepped to the side, causing Ataru to fall to the ground.

"Actually…I really wanted to wear a certain jewel to the coronation today…" she said slyly as Ataru grinned wildly, lifting himself off the ground. "I think your girlfriend might have it…"

"Oh, you mean, Lum?" he asked. "She's not really my girlfriend."

"Oh, that's good," the woman said. "Because I was hoping I could _reward_ you if you got it for me."

"Reward…me…?" Ataru started snickering loudly at this proposition. "I'll do anything you ask, especially for a beautiful woman like you! What jewel do you need? I'm sure Lum doesn't need it, anyway!"

"The Sacred Jewel," she replied.

The deviousness in Ataru's eyes left for a moment. "The Sacred Jewel?" he asked. "But Lum needs that to - "

"I thought you said Lum _wouldn't_ need it," the woman interrupted, still smirking slyly. "Besides, I really, _really _would like to have it." She pouted a bit and Ataru felt himself begin to melt at the sight of the pleading woman.

"Well, I guess Lum doesn't really need it," Ataru thought to himself. "After all, I know Mendou's going to be fine, anyway. He lives for another seventy-two years…"

"Please?" she begged, pressing her bosom close to him.

At this, Ataru immediately caved. "All right! You just wait right here!" He let out a few snickers while the woman chuckled to herself. And Ataru then ran off to find Lum.

He found her in her own room and, much to his seemingly good fortune, the Sacred Jewel was sitting on the small end table by her bed as she waited by the window. "Oh, Darling, there you are," she said with a smile. "I don't think Kikyo's here yet. But I've already sent for Inuyasha telepathically and he's on his way. As soon as he arrives, I'll send him to find Kikyo."

"You've already taken out the Sacred Jewel," Ataru noted, glancing over at it as he clasped his hands behind his back and nervously twisted his fingers.

"I figured I should be prepared, just in case I may have to try and do it myself," Lum said.

"Oh…" There was a moment of silence and then Ataru suddenly snatched it off the table without warning and bolted out of the room.

"Darling?!" Lum questioned in horror as she chased after him.

"Sorry, but a beautiful girl is waiting for this!" he called back.

"Darling!" she shouted furiously, speeding up as electricity began sparking out of her. Ataru just laughed, dodging all of her shocks as he had gotten quite skilled at doing so as the chase ensued throughout the palace.

However, the chase didn't last very long for Lum unexpectedly and abruptly halted as she gasped, "Shutaro." Her eyes widened in fright and then, she turned and disappeared down one of the other corridors.

Ataru slowed down to a stop, realizing Lum had surprisingly left him and started down another hall. He frowned and called out, "Lum…?"

It was then that the woman with dark green hair grabbed him from behind. "Hey, let go!" he protested, and the woman quickly did, but not before yanking the Sacred Jewel out of his hand.

"Thanks for the jewel, kid," she said with a malicious grin before suddenly transforming into a black crow. Ataru let out a frightened cry and stumbled back, falling on his backside as the black bird flapped past him, the jewel tightly secured in the bird's talons as it disappeared from sight.

"No, wait!" Ataru called out in vain before shuddering, whimpering, and nervously looking about him. The palace suddenly seemed very cold and dark to him. He gulped and managed to get to his feet, despite the fact that his knees were shaking. Then he started to run, trying to find out where Lum had gone.

"Lum! Lum!" he cried. He then stopped when he saw her, his eyes widening in horror. "Men…Mendou…?" he asked fearfully as he stood in the hallway, staring at Shutaro laying on the floor, Lum knelt over him. There was blood splattered over the wall and on the floor, as well as on Shutaro's perfectly white outfit and Lum's hands. "Is he…is he…he can't be…" he stammered as he took a step closer.

"Don't come any closer!" Lum cried, closing her eyes tightly as crystal tears flung from them, dropping down onto Shutaro's beautiful crimson blood, as if they were diamonds mixing with red roses. "Please…don't, Darling. You shouldn't see anymore than you have to."

"But…" Ataru trailed off as he choked on a sob. He swallowed hard, trying to hold back his tears, and asked, "But who did this?"

"That's not important, Darling," she said and then became urgent. "You have to leave this place and go back home. As quickly as possible."

"But, Lum - "

"Please, Darling!" she cried, her desperate gaze finally meeting his frightened one. "It's the only way that you can maybe save Prince Shutaro and me."

"You? But nothing bad has happened to you, Lum," Ataru insisted, the fear building up in his voice.

Lum raised her hands to one of her horns and a light shone around it. It slowly rose off her hair and she lowered it in front of her. Finally, it dropped in the palm of her hand. She threw it to Ataru, who barely caught it with his trembling hands. "Take this, Darling. You have to take it and go back to your time. Then, maybe, if Soichiro finds a way back…the two of you are the only ones who can maybe help Shutaro and me. He'll find you and he'll know what to do!"

Ataru looked down at Lum's horn that now rested in his cupped hands. "But…Lum…I can't just leave…and Mendou…what's going to happen? What are you going to do?"

"Darling, you have to hurry! Before it's too late! Please!"

Ataru gave one last glance back at the frightened and crying Lum and then back at his dead friend covered in his own blood. Ataru swallowed hard, closed his eyes tightly, and, shaking fearfully, started running as tears flung from his own eyes.

* * *

"That's when I came back here," Ataru said. "Before I left I saw this big light…but it was too late, it shoved me back through the hole to this time and everything had changed."

"Hmm," Miroku began, rubbing his chin. "Well, it seems that this mysterious woman from this Reverse World is somehow the cause of all of this."

Shinobu frowned and then glanced over at Shutaro, who had a puzzled look on his face. "Hey, Prince Shutaro, what's wrong?"

"Huh?" Shutaro said, snapping out of his perplexed daze and glancing over at Shinobu. "Well…it's just that…I can't remember who this Amane Iseki is."

"You can't remember Amane Iseki?" Shinobu asked and the others all turned their attention to Shinobu. "Prince Shutaro doesn't remember Amane."

"That's odd," Sango said. "But he remembers everything else?"

Shinobu nodded. "I think so."

"Of course Mendou knows who Amane Iseki is; he was just his Guardian of the Prince!" Ataru exclaimed. "He's not that dense!"

"_That_ dense?!" Shutaro heatedly questioned.

"He sure does anger easily," Miroku noted, feeling the anger of Shutaro's spirit, which simply caused Shutaro to scowl further.

Shinobu then gasped, eyes widening with a new revelation. She urgently turned to Ataru. "Did the man - did Amane - did he have long pink hair?"

"Yeah, why?" Ataru asked.

Shinobu gasped again as did Shutaro, Miroku, and Sango while Ataru, Kyoko, and Yusaku remained puzzled. "But…but that's impossible!" Shutaro exclaimed, clamping his hand over his throat.

"Are you certain?" Miroku questioned.

"What's wrong? Why are you making such a big deal about this?" Ataru asked.

"Amane's the man who stole Prince Shutaro's body!" Shinobu cried. "He's the one who killed Prince Shutaro!"

"What?!" Ataru exclaimed, rising to his feet. "No way! Amane would never do that! He may have been a jerk, but he was Mendou's Guardian of the Prince!"

"But he did do it," Miroku interjected. "Now the question is why."

"I'm telling you he _wouldn't_," Ataru insisted. "Lum picked Amane out herself. There was no one more loyal to Mendou than Amane."

"Loyalties often shift, allies change," Miroku reasoned.

"Yeah; maybe he sold out or something," Yusaku agreed.

"No, that's not what I mean," Ataru argued. "It's just that…well…Amane was in love with Mendou."

And Shutaro's face turned a bright shade of scarlet as he let out a shrill, "_What?!_"


	10. Chapter 10

I keep on trucking, for some bizarre reason...

Chapter Ten: Wake The Sleeping Goddess Lum!

Yuichi waited patiently in the woods for Saori's return. A black crow soon appeared, flapping it's way past the trees and heading toward the ground. When the crow had almost hit the grass, it suddenly transformed into the beautiful woman, Saori, her dark green hair flowing down as she kneeled before the white-haired Yuichi dressed all in black. He smirked and asked, "What did you find out?"

"They've found Ataru Moroboshi, my lord," Saori answered. "They're heading to the Sacred Cave to wake the Eternal Goddess Lum."

"Impossible," Yuichi dismissed her. "They can't do that now."

"They have both of her horns, Prince Yuichi."

"What?" Yuichi snarled, rising to his feet. "How? Moroboshi must have had them."

"He had one…the other one was in the possession of a young girl, also from Soichiro's world."

"Young girl?" Yuichi asked in surprise. "But why would she have one of the horns?"

Saori lowered her eyes. "She had the gold mark of the Guardian of the Prince on her arm."

"You mean that fool Prince Shutaro is still alive?" Yuichi furiously questioned. "It must have something to do with that damn Amane, that traitorous bastard!" With a ferocious growl, he held up his hand and a large, violent burst of energy came out from it, leveling a series of trees in front of him with his power. Panting harshly, he turned back to Saori and questioned, "Was Amane with them? Or Prince Shutaro?"

"Amane, no. From what I gather, Prince Shutaro is now a spirit without a body - and Amane is the one who has taken his body," Saori explained.

Yuichi let out another growl, staring at the smoking ash that were one a dozen trees. "That's not important right now; we must concentrate in keeping the Eternal Goddess Lum asleep. With her horns and Moroboshi, they will be able to pull her out of heaven again and back into Rumi."

"And what about the others? Prince Shutaro's Guardian of the Prince? And Soichiro's wife?"

"Soichiro's wife is useless to me," Yuichi remarked coldly. "As long as it isn't Soichiro…but he should be long dead by now. And kill that girl - Prince Shutaro's new Guardian of the Prince, but make sure the Eternal Goddess remains asleep and Ataru Moroboshi remains alive; Yuriko may need him in the future, especially now that Soichiro's gone."

"And what about the Sacred Jewel?" Saori asked.

"What about it?" Yuichi retorted back. "Yuriko already has it; and only Amane can use it, anyway. Or Kikyo, but you took care of her. Now go."

Saori bowed her head. "Yes, your majesty." She then transformed back into a crow and flew out of sight toward the Sacred Cave.

* * *

"You know, Prince Shutaro, your face is still bright red," Shinobu commented as she walked alongside him. The two trailed in the back, following the others toward the Sacred Cave. Miroku and Sango led the way, along with Kirara, followed by Kyoko and Yusaku and then Ataru.

"It is not," Shutaro insisted, although his cheeks just turned even redder.

Shinobu giggled and remarked, "Well, there's no need for you to be so embarrassed. I wish someone was in love with me."

"I'm not embarrassed, Miss Shinobu…" Shutaro trailed off, frowning, the red in his cheeks fading to a bright shade of pink. Then, growing annoyed, he added, "Besides, he couldn't be that in love with me if he killed me."

Shinobu frowned. "I wonder why someone would do that to someone they really care about. I mean, what a terrible thing to do…hey, maybe he was jealous! Or maybe it had something to do with unrequited love. Or maybe you cheated on him."

"I was never with him!" Shutaro shouted furiously, his cheeks burning red again.

"Well, you never know, considering you can't remember," Shinobu told him nonchalantly.

"But…I…" Shutaro tried to protest. Then, recalling his final moments before his death, Shutaro closed his eyes tightly, blushing wildly, and declared, "It's absolutely ridiculous!"

"Maybe it really was just unrequited love then," Shinobu contemplated. "Still, you really shouldn't get so defensive, Prince Shutaro…"

Meanwhile, Ataru looked over his shoulder. Slowing down a bit so Shinobu could catch up with him, he asked, "Hey, what's Mendou complaining about this time?"

"Hmm? Oh, nothing really…" Shinobu trailed off, looking up at the disgusted and embarrassed scowl on Shutaro's face with a frown. "He's just embarrassed, that's all - about Amane."

"Don't tell him that!" Shutaro snapped.

"Oh…sorry…" Shinobu replied with another frown.

Ataru, on the other hand, snickered, and said, "That idiot always got embarrassed about that."

"Who are you calling an idiot, Moroboshi?!" Shutaro shouted. "Now tell her that there was absolutely nothing between me and that moron Amane what's-his-name! I would never do something like _that - _not that there's anything wrong with it, of course - but _I _wouldn't, especially with a traitor like him!"

Shinobu sighed and mumbled hopelessly, "I still don't think you understand that he can't _hear_ you, Prince Shutaro…"

"We're here!" Sango called back to them.

Ataru's eyes widened as he grinned and ran up to the front. As soon as he saw the cave, he laughed, clutched tightly onto the two horns in his hands, and exclaimed, "All right! Now we can go and wake Lum!" He then proceeded to run down toward the Sacred Cave. The others smiled happily, beginning to follow.

As Miroku went to go, he stopped, however, and looked to see a black bird pass over them and through the otherwise clear blue sky. He grimaced gravely. "Hmm…"

"Miroku, what's wrong?" Sango asked, noticing his hesitation.

"I sense something ominous approaching," he told her. "We must be cautious."

* * *

"My dear beloved Eternal Goddess Lum!" Megane exclaimed as he knelt outside the cave. "Although everyone says you betrayed Rumi and cursed our beloved land, I still believe in you and your beautiful glory! No, I will never turn my back on you! I will serve you always, even if no one comes to bring you offerings like they all _should_, those unworthy scum! And even if you did curse Rumi and all its people and kill Prince Shutaro, we are all deserving of our torment! That's right! We should live miserable, cursed lives, as we are too unworthy and too insignificant and too treacherous to have your blessing! Yes, we should be happy with our miserable fate, and accept your wise decision to so callously murder Prince Shutaro - you could do better than him, anyway! The misery you have given me and the curse you have given this land I will always cherish, as it is all that I have of you my beautiful Eternal Goddess Lum whom I worship with all my body and soul!" He lowered his head to the dirt and began sobbing while the three other young monks looked on with frowns of confusion.

However, the curly haired one noticed Ataru and the others heading their way. "Hey, Megane, there are pilgrims coming."

"_What?!_" Megane exclaimed, raising his head and his glasses disheveled and crooked on his face.

"No way!" the short, scrawny one shouted, while the stocky one took his hand and pushed him down in order to get a better look.

When Ataru reached the entrance of the cave, he leaned over and started panting, trying to catch his breath. Meanwhile, Megane glowered down at him, adjusting his glasses and standing up straight. "What business do you have here, infidel?"

Ataru stood up and said, "I'm here to see Lum!" He went to go past him, but Megane swiftly stepped in front of him, menacingly blocking his path.

"That's _Eternal Goddess _Lum," Megane corrected through clenched teeth. "And where is your offering?"

"What?" Ataru asked in confusion.

"Your _offering,_" Megane repeated with violent disdain.

"I don't have one," Ataru answered simply.

Megane's brow twitched. "You can't get _in_ if you don't have an offering! It's sacrilegious! Dishonorable! Forbidden! Now be gone unworthy fool!" He waved him off with a flippant gesture of his hand.

Ataru scowled and furrowed his brows. "I'm not going anywhere until I see Lum!" he declared. "I have to go and wake her! And then maybe she can get Mendou's body back and fix Rumi again!"

Megane raised a brow. "Well, I certainly will not allow some obviously _insane_ little _idiot _to disgrace my dear beloved Goddess's resting place with his _insane_ ideas. Now be gone! You are unworthy! I have decided!"

"I'm not insane!" Ataru furiously protest, advancing angrily toward Megane when suddenly both Miroku and Sango stepped in front of him.

"I think it would be wise if you step aside and allow the boy to pass," Miroku said, holding his staff forward with a serious glare.

"Yes, otherwise we cannot tell you what harm may come to you," Sango reiterated, taking hold of her large boomerang as Kirara growled, stepping beside her.

Megane whimpered a bit, but then swallowed hard, stood up straight, and closed his eyes. He resolutely declared, "I forbid it! You will not frighten me into betraying my dear beloved Goddess Lum, the most beautiful, glorious creature in all the heavens!"

Miroku raised an eyebrow and Sango frowned and sighed. "Listen, it's very important we get in there," Sango tried to reason.

"That's right," Kyoko added, stepping forward and bowing her head. "Please, sir, we have to help wake Lum up again. She asked my husband to fulfill this duty for her so now it's my responsibility. We don't mean any harm."

"I said, no!" Megane exclaimed stubbornly. "Especially not without a proper offering!"

As the others tried to reason and debate with Megane, something caught the corner of Yusaku's eye. "Hmm?" He turned his head to see a black crow perched on a rock staring at them. He stared at it for a few moments in curiosity; something seemed odd and dangerous about it as it coldly stared at him. "Um…that crow…"

"Now, listen here you deranged moron!" Ataru, however, shouted over him as he shoved a finger into Megane's chest. "Let us in!"

"Never, you ingrate!"

Yusaku frowned and then looked back to the rock to see that the crow was gone. "Hey! Where'd it go?" he questioned aloud, looking around frantically. He then spotted something; unfortunately, it wasn't the crow. Instead, it was the familiar and vehement Black Dragon Saori.

As soon as the others heard Yusaku let out a terrified scream, they all turned to see the Black Dragon swarming down toward them. They all let startled gasps, quickly darting out of the way. Miroku immediately went to release his wind tunnel, but Sango shouted, "No, don't, Miroku! It's too large; you might tear your Wind Tunnel! Let me try to get it first." She then mounted Kilala, readying her boomerang and flew up to fight it.

"That's…that's the dragon that attacked me and Godai before," Kyoko said as she sat up from the ground. "It's called the Black Dragon Saori."

"What?" Miroku questioned. "But…why would it follow you all the way here?"

Meanwhile, Sango swung her boomerang at the beast. Her boomerang scraped off the top layer of skin of the dragon's right wing then turned around and did the same to the left before Sango caught it again. Saori let out a shrieking roar, but was not defeated.

At the same time, Miroku shouted, "Hurry up! Inside the cave while it's distracted!" Ataru and the others nodded as they ran toward the cave.

However, Saori spotted them and let out another roar, blowing past Sango and Kirara. Sango let out a gasp and cried, "Watch out, Miroku!"

At this, the dragon landed fiercely in front of the cave before the others could reach the entrance. The earth shook and they all stumbled backwards, falling onto the ground. In the meantime, Sango charged toward it, dodging the fire that the dragon released from its mouth as she flung her boomerang again. However, Saori roared and violently butted its head into the flying boomerang, causing the boomerang to deflect and puncture itself into the side wall of the cave.

"No! Not the Sacred Cave!" Megane wailed with a sob as he fell to his knees in despair.

"No," Sango gasped and then winced fiercely as the dragon's fangs lunged toward her. Sango hastily released a dagger attached to her gauntlet. It snapped just in time for her to slash the blade across the bottom of the dragon's eye. The dragon redrew itself with a shrill cry and flapped its wings, causing a large gust of wind to blow toward Sango. Sango clenched her teeth and held tightly onto Kirara with one hand while she pulled out her kantana with the other. As she charged once more, the dragon rose and snapped its tail around, smacking Sango and Kirara downward as Sango's blade cut across it.

"Sango!" Miroku shouted as he watched Sango hit the ground with Kirara beside her. Scowling fiercely, he ordered to the others, "Stay back!" He then turned to the dragon and pulled off his prayer beads. "Wind Tunnel!" he shouted and released the black hole in the palm of his hand.

"What is that?!" Yusaku exclaimed in a panic as the fierce wind of the black hole began sucking everything in sight.

"I…I don't know," Kyoko answered with a tremor in her voice.

Meanwhile, the dragon glowered and landing harshly on the ground, digging its claws into the dirt to keep itself from flying into the void of Miroku's hand. A murderous glint flashed in the dragon's dark eyes before it released a burst of flames from its mouth.

Miroku gasped and widened his eyes as the flames went rapidly flying toward him. He hastily closed his wind tunnel and ducked to the side, falling on the ground as the fire whizzed past him, only inches from scorching him. The dragon then let out another furious, ear piercing roar.

"I have to do something!" Shinobu declared resolutely, rising to her feet and running toward the dragon.

"No, wait, Miss Shinobu!" Shutaro called after her.

Meanwhile, the already panicked Yusaku became more frantic as he saw Shinobu charging for the dragon. "Wait, Shinobu! You're supposed to stay out of trouble! What will I tell your parents if you're killed? What will I tell my supervisor?!"

"Don't worry, Mr. Godai! I know what I'm doing!" she called back with an assuring smile and Yusaku whimpered helplessly. However, she stopped when she reached the foot of the dragon, looking up with a worried frown as she realized she hadn't actually formulated a plan. "Um…"

The dragon growled, noticing her standing beside its feet. It bared its fangs, thick, burning saliva dripping from its mouth, and then lunged for Shinobu, ready to snap its jaw and devour her. Shinobu let out a scream and reacted on instinct, jolting both of her hands forward to grab the beasts mouth and bring it to a halt. She struggled desperately as she held the dragon's head back with both hands, one hand on the monster's nostrils and the other holding the bottom of the dragon's open jaw. The dragon snarled, pushing its head forward as Shinobu held her ground despite the sharp fangs so close to her face thick, revolting steam pouring out of the dragon's large mouth and onto her.

Saori then grew furious and let out a roar. Shinobu's eyes widened as she suddenly saw a flame spark in the back of the dragon's throat. "Oh, no! The fire!" she cried before releasing the dragon and hastily dropping to the ground. The dragon's held lunged forward into the ground next to her, the burst of flame cutting across the dirt, creating a five foot wall of fire. Shinobu then scurried back fearfully as the dragon angrily began to raise its head again.

"This isn't working!" Kyoko cried desperately, clasping her hands together. "We have to do something else!"

"But what?" Sango asked. "It's too powerful."

Kyoko felt herself begin to cry and tears flung from her eyes as she turned her head back toward the dragon. "Please, Soichiro," she thought. "There must be something we can do…"

Meanwhile, the dragon was fiercely eyeing its last opponent - Shinobu. Then, to their surprise, it snarled out the words, "Are you the Guardian of Prince Shutaro?"

"It…speaks?" Sango asked.

Miroku glowered. "That isn't a dragon."

"Are you his Guardian of the Prince?" the beast questioned once more.

"Ye…yes," she stammered as she sat on the ground, paralyzed with fear and shock as the now talking dragon glared icily down at her. And the dragon let out a devious, malicious growl.

"Run, Shinobu!" Yusaku shouted and hastily took hold of her hand, yanking her up and pulling her to run as the dragon lunged for her. The dragon's hit the dirt again, but the two weren't fast enough. The dragon's tail swung around in front of them. Both let out a startled cry as they stopped short and fell backwards, the dragon's eyes leering behind them.

"Mr. Godai!" Shinobu cried, pulling on his sleeve as she realized they were trapped. "What should we do? What should we do?"

"I…I…" Yusaku stuttered, having no answer for her except to panic and pray for a miracle as the dragon reached back its head, ready to pounce.

"Godai!" Kyoko cried and, then, noticing the trail of fire the dragon had left, hastily darted toward it, grabbing a branch off the ground and setting it on fire like a torch. She then quickly and urgently flung it toward the dragon, igniting the dragon's tail on fire.

The dragon wailed in pain, jolting its head back in pain as its tail engulfed in quickly spreading flames while Yusaku yelped and held onto Shinobu tightly as he saw the burning tail surrounding them. Kyoko frowned. "Oh, no…"

However, Sango had once again mounted Kirara and quickly passed them, reaching out as she did and pulling them both up onto Kirara's back. Yusaku turned sickly pale as he looked down at the ground so far away as Shinobu smiled in relief and amazement at the fact that they were flying.

Meanwhile, the dragon dropped its head to its tail and inhaled deeply, sucking up the flames, although its flesh remained scorched. Then, it took those same flames, cocked its head upward, and flung them toward the flying Kirara, with Sango, Shinobu and Yusaku on her back. The four, thankfully, managed to dodge it, and hastily landed back on the ground. Shinobu jumping off while Yusaku slid off, mumbling hopelessly, "I really want to go home…"

"It will be all right, Mr. Godai," Shinobu told him with a sympathetic smile as she stood over him and patted his shoulder.

"Our only chance is to wake Lum," Miroku then said. "She's the only one who may be strong enough to defeat whatever this demon truly is. Sango."

Sango nodded. "I'm on it." She and Kirara then took flight again to fight the dragon.

Miroku hurriedly turned to Ataru. "When Sango gives you an opening, you run into the cave and wake up Lum with those horns."

"Wait, what?!" Ataru questioned, looking up at the terrifying beast with a whimper as Sango began battling it again. "But…you mean go past that thing?!"

"It's the only way," Miroku concluded.

"But I wouldn't even know how to wake her!" Ataru protested. "Here, you take the horns."

"You pulled her out of the heavens once before, didn't you?" Miroku questioned. "And she entrusted both you and Soichiro to wake her; you would be the only two who would have any chance of knowing how."

"But…but…" Ataru stammered frantically.

Miroku narrowed his eyes, watching the battle ensue between both Sango and Saori. Then, he suddenly exclaimed, "Go!"

Ataru let out a yelp and a whimper, but hastily began running for his life and toward the Sacred Cave, pitifully maneuvering around the dragon's massive back legs as the feet moved and slammed back into the ground and the whipping tail. As soon as the dragon noticed Ataru's dart to the entrance, it growled and snapped its back toward Ataru, forgetting about Sango. Ataru let out a shrill scream and then started running even faster, desperately trying to outrun the driving head and venomous fangs. He tripped as he fell into the entrance, the dragon's head smashing into it and causing him to smack into the ground as rocks tumbled from the ceiling. The dragon butted its head into the cave entrance a few more times, trying to break it open so it could fit through. Ataru whimpered, tightly squeezing his eyes shut and covering his head from the falling debris. After a few tries, however, the dragon stopped, realizing that it could crack the cave, it could not break it open.

Ataru blinked a few times when he noticed the cave had stopped shaking and finally lowered his arms and sat up. He looked over to the entrance of the cave to see the dragon's massive eye staring furiously at him, peeping through the small entrance of the Sacred Cave. Ataru snickered triumphantly and walked over to it. He stuck his tongue out at it. "Stupid dragon," he sneered, kicking dirt into its eye. The dragon let out a roar, lifting its head from the cave's entrance and Ataru jumped back at the loud sound, especially as it echoed through and shook the cave. He winced and whimpered once more before quickly scurrying away from the entrance and running toward the main cavern. Ataru stared into the enormous cavern, feeling the same awe he felt when he stepped inside of it on the first day he met Lum. It seemed oddly calm and silent, despite the battle raging on outside, only a little distance away. Ataru stood lingering in the doorway before his expression became one of stubborn determination. He clenched the horns tightly and then made his way to the table.

Kneeling in front of the stone table, he frowned and scratched the top of his head. "Now what?" He sighed and opened his other hand, gazing down at Lum's horns. He placed them on the stone table that was used for offerings. "Um…if you can hear me…here are your horns. You need them, right? That's where your power is…" He trailed off, finding himself still frowning as the horns remained lifeless as they sat on the table. Then, becoming frustrated, he shouted, "Come on, Lum! Where the heck are you?!"

He then noticed the statue of Lum staring down at him from behind the table. However, he narrowed his eyes, closely examining the stone masterpiece of Lum, each detail seemingly richly carved into the beautiful rock. His eyes widened and he let out a gasp as a sudden revelation sprung on him - the statue was without Lum's horns.

He quickly scooped up the horns in his hands and got up on the offering table, standing on his tip toes to reach Lum's head and place the horns back on her head. "Come on, come on…" he muttered to himself as he stretched his arms out as far as he could. "This has to work…"

And, at last, he achieved his goal, the horns snapping onto the head of the Eternal Goddess Lum. "Whoa!" Ataru cried out as he fell forward with his final stretch and his hand latched onto the statue's hand to keep his balance. Suddenly, a light appeared between his palm and the palm of the statue and, much to Ataru's surprise, the hand no longer felt like cold stone, but like warm flesh. Ataru, now kneeling on the table, looked up and pulled his hand up and back to pull out Lum's real hand from the statue, shining with a divine light. And, from the statue, emerged the Eternal Goddess Lum, shining brightly and smiling down at Ataru as she stood on the pedestal where the statue stood in front of the stone figure of herself.

"Lum…?" he asked, blinking in surprise as he still held her hand and the light from her diminished. He then laughed happily and reached his arms out for her. "Lum!" he exclaimed excitedly.

"Darling!" Lum exclaimed back. She floated down to him and swung her arms around him.

"Lum!" Ataru repeated, hugging her back in his relief and joy as they sat on the offering table together.

"Darling…" she began sweetly before she scowled fiercely and finished, "…_you idiot!_"

Ataru then gulped as Lum exploded with electricity to shock him and only him.


	11. Chapter 11

It's a miracle! I got _another_ review! Thank you so much Mink! And I'm sorry about the confusion with all the characters (yes, I will admit, there are _way _too many characters in this story); I think it would be easier to follow if you at least have a basic knowledge of who the characters are before going into the story just because of a lot of the different quirks, tics, and relationships of the characters from the shows that are in here and are already supposed to be kind of understood (not to mention trying to memorize everyone's names, powers, roles, etc.). I will say, though, if you ever get a chance, you should try and catch Urusei Yatsura because it's an hilariously great show (and, ironically, not very much at all like this story actually, save for the characters used)! Still, you can't be Lum and Ataru! Anyway, thanks so much again - reviews are always appreciated (I'll even accept flaming at this rate, lo1!)

In other news, I'm moving this over to the Inuyasha board for the next chapter and am trying something different - that is, putting the chapter summary of the new chapter up rather than the general summary of the story; hopefully, it will entice more readers. As for the old summary, here it is:

"A Urusei Yatsura, Maison Ikkoku, Inuyasha crossover alternate universe fantasy fic! The land of Rumi was cursed when the Eternal Goddess Lum mysteriously betrayed her people 100 years ago. Now, schoolgirl Shinobu, her teacher Godai, and the widow Kyoko..."

Well, here we go with chapter eleven! For all those reading (thanks to them, too!), I hope you enjoy!

Chapter Eleven: Battle Outside the Sacred Cave!

"What did you do that for?!" Ataru shouted angrily after the shock seized. "Here I come to save you and this is the thanks I get!"

But Lum's temper was still raging as a few more sparks flew from her. "How could you have given some woman the Sacred Jewel?! You idiot!"

"Well, how was I suppose to know it was going to cause all this trouble!" Ataru retorted.

"You…you idiot, Darling!" Lum cried once more, unable to think of anything more appropriate to call him. "You're so easily tempted!"

"It's not my fault! That woman was practically throwing herself at me!" Ataru argued.

"Darling!" Lum snarled furiously and proceeded to shock him once more.

After it ended and Ataru's hair was fried and his clothes and skin were covered in soot, he exclaimed, "Damn it, Lum! Will you quit doing that?!" Before Lum could argue any further, the roar of Saori came from outside and shook the cave. "The others!" Ataru gasped and then he and Lum quickly headed out to fight.

Sango and Kirara skidded once more onto the ground as the dragon's tale smashed into the cave and Saori let out a violent roar. "Oh, my beautiful Sacred Cave!" Megane cried, tears pouring down his face as he stared up in horror and the battered and beaten cave. Luckily for Sango, however, the last blow of the dragon had jostled her boomerang loose and it went falling down to the earth only a few yards beside her. As Saori went to attack once more, Sango darted for it, grabbed it, and hastily swung it toward the beast, the boomerang cutting across the dragon's face. As Saori shrieked and grew more angry, Sango caught her boomerang and mounted Kirara again, flying off as Saori began its next onslaught.

Kirara landed next to Miroku. Panting hard and already badly bruised and scraped up, Sango got off and said, "We can't do this for much longer, Miroku."

"I know," Miroku answered.

"If that damned Moroboshi would hurry up," Shutaro muttered and Shinobu frowned.

"It's coming back again!" Kyoko cried. Sango held up her boomerang while Miroku prepared his Wind Tunnel once more.

However, from the cave entrance came a large burst of light. The others, including the dragon, turned to see the green-haired goddess floating and immersed in shining golden light. Her face, however, was fierce and vengeful. And behind her stood Ataru Moroboshi, grinning victoriously and sneering at the dragon.

"Is that…the Eternal Goddess Lum?" Miroku asked in disbelief as Lum raised her hands, a bolt of lightning falling down from the clear sky and surging about her. She then thrust that same electrical energy toward the dragon without any sign of mercy.

Saori let out a scream and slowly it transformed from a dragon to a woman with long, dark green hair, who grimaced and held her arms up to block the powerful attack.

"A woman?" Yusaku asked in surprise.

Ataru, however, gasped and pointed directly at Saori. "That's the woman! The woman who took the Sacred Jewel!"

Lum's eyes widened, her concentration breaking, as she looked back to Ataru. "What?"

It was then that Saori saw her chance and threw a powerful surge of energy directly at Lum, sending Lum flying backwards. "Lum!" Ataru exclaimed, quickly kneeling over her as she groaned and laid on the ground. Meanwhile, Saori began marching over to the two, a murderous look in her eyes.

But Lum soon sat up and scowled furiously, unbeaten and more angry than before. "You're the one responsible for Shutaro's death and the destruction of Rumi's palace!" she accused vehemently before gasping when she noticed the black kanji written on Saori wrist. "'Guardian of the Prince…?'" she read aloud in a shocked whisper. However, she soon came to her senses, and seeing that Saori was ready to make another attack - this time fatal - quickly took hold of Ataru and flew rapidly upwards with him as a burst of energy went flying into the Sacred Cave, causing it to finally shatter and collapse in on itself.

"The cave!" Megane cried, still weeping and then looked to Lum in awe. "The Eternal Goddess Lum!"

Meanwhile, Ataru closed his eyes tightly as he clung to Lum, hanging onto her by the neck as they floated high above the ground. Lum then began throwing bolts of electricity at Saori.

Saori blocked them, smirked, and scoffed, "Is that the best you can do, Goddess? No wonder why you are so unworthy to remain here."

"Who are you?" Lum demanded. "Why do you have the symbol of the Guardian of the Prince?"

"Don't act stupid," Saori retorted smugly. "You already know who I am. You and your prince are a dying breed. Hell, your prince is already practically dead, anyway." She laughed cruelly and Lum let out a shrill growl before hurling more lightning at her.

However, Saori jumped up to where Lum was and threw a ball of black energy at her. Lum gasped as it smashed into her, sending both her and Ataru flying back and to the ground.

"No! Miss Lum!" Shutaro exclaimed before urgently turning to Shinobu. "Miss Shinobu, you have to save Miss Lum!"

Startled and confused, Shinobu tried her best to gain her senses and said, "Yes, right, Prince Shutaro!" But as she made her way toward Saori, Saori landed back on the ground and snapped her head back, send a powerful pulse of energy that shot both her and the other flying backwards. Saori smirked and then proceed to walk toward Lum.

"Darling! Darling, wake up!" Lum said, shaking Ataru as he groaned, slowly gaining consciousness. When she looked, however, she gasped when she noticed that Saori was upon her, a great amount of dark light pouring out of her and aimed directly at Lum.

Much to her surprise, someone swiftly came in between her and Saori, shouting, "Wind Scar!" with a powerful swing of his sword. A huge burst of energy and wind came forward and, although she tried her best to brace herself, Saori went flying back.

"Inuyasha!" Lum exclaimed, jumping to her feet as Ataru sat up.

"Inuyasha, you're alive!" Yusaku chimed in and Kyoko smiled in relief, her eyes glistening happily as she saw him.

"Yeah, no thanks to you," he retorted and Yusaku grimaced a bit. He then turned around and gave Lum a smile. "And don't you know I've always got your back, Lum?" he cockily asked.

"Did you find Soichiro?" Lum asked hopefully, eagerly clasping her hands together.

"Well, that gets kind of complicated, but we don't have time to talk about that now," Inuyasha told her. "Now, I've got to finish what I started." Then, with a wicked grin, he glared over at Saori, who was regaining her footing. "I knew you weren't any ordinary dragon." He then charged toward her.

A sword quickly formed in her hand and she successfully blocked Inuyasha's large sword from cutting through her. "Don't tell me you're out to avenge your girlfriend," she jested callously through clenched teeth as her sword held fast against Inuyasha's.

"What?" Inuyasha asked, also strained as he continued to bear his sword down on hers.

"Oh, that's right, she had already pinned you to a tree!" Saori exclaimed, shrilly cackling.

Inuyasha growled and narrowed his eyes. With a ferocious scream he pulled his Tetsusaiga away and swung it down at her, but she quickly jumped out of the way. "What did you do to Kikyo?"

"What does it matter?" Saori asked. "It's already been a hundred years; she would have been dead by now, anyway." She laughed again and Inuyasha became enraged, his hair turning white as two dog ears formed on him. He then charged for her.

"His hair really did turn white…" Yusaku trailed off, watching in disbelief and recalling what Kyoko had said a couple of days earlier.

Kyoko, meanwhile, turned to Miroku and said, "There must be something we can do! We have to help him!"

They then heard Inuyasha let out a painful scream and Kyoko gasped and turned around, her hair blowing behind her as she saw Saori's sword pierce through Inuyasha's shoulder. "No…"

"Damn it," Inuyasha grumbled, falling to his knees and spitting out a bit of blood. Meanwhile, Saori smirked in satisfaction.

"Stop it," Kyoko whispered, her voice growing louder as she kept repeating the words and walking toward where Inuyasha lay. "Stop it…stop it…_stop it!_" she finally cried, running in between both Saori and Inuyasha. She fell to the ground in front of Inuyasha, kneeling before Saori. Tears falling from her beautiful eyes, she pleaded, "Please, stop it. Don't hurt him. I'm begging you."

Saori snarled. "You must be Soichiro's wife," she said, face contorted with disgust. "A nuisance, really, but I'll soon remedy that." She then raised her sword and went to swing it at her throat.

Yusaku gasped and cried out, "Kyoko, no!" before leaping in between Kyoko and the sharp blade. The sword cut across his chest, slashing his shirt and the first few layers of his skin, blood spilling out onto the dirt and grass.

"Godai!" Kyoko cried, taking hold of Yusaku as he fell to his knees in shock, touching his chest and staring down at his blood-covered fingers in fear.

However, Inuyasha took this as his opportunity as Saori was taken off guard by this sudden rescue, hastily picking up the Tetsusaiga and jabbing it past Kyoko and Yusaku and right into Saori's gut. Saori shrieked and dropped her sword. She quickly pulled back, the sword yanking out of her flesh and staggered backward. She glowered furiously, eyes flaring with rage as she cupped one of her hands over her wound that gushed with blood.

She then looked up to see Lum flying in the air, her power level increased and electricity swarming all around her. Saori scoffed, disgusted with her inevitable defeat, and with a swing of her hand released a blinding light. She then transformed into the black crow, rapidly fleeing the battle as the others slowly gained their eyesight again.

"Is she gone?" Shinobu asked.

"I think so," Miroku replied.

Shinobu then looked to where Yusaku kneeled and cried out, "Oh, Mr. Godai!" She then ran up to him.

Meanwhile, Kyoko was urgently asking, "Godai, are you all right?" as the initial shock wore off and Yusaku was now bent over, wincing in pain as he held tightly to his wound.

Inuyasha scoffed bitterly as he stood up, his own deep wound in his shoulder still bleeding. "He'll be fine; it's just a shallow flesh wound. Jeez, suck it up, kid."

Yusaku frowned, but then found himself wincing again as the pain ensued.

"Wow, Mr. Godai, that was so brave!" Shinobu exclaimed. "You were like a knight-in-shining-armor, rescuing Miss Otonoshi like that."

Yusaku's face turned bright red as he stammered, "No, I…I mean, I was just…"

"Oh, no! Your face is turning all red!" Kyoko exclaimed. "Do you feel sick? Maybe you have a fever!"

"But don't you usually became pale when you start losing blood…" Shinobu pondered, placing a finger to her chin.

"No! That's not it!" Yusaku insisted, cheeks becoming an even brighter shade of scarlet while he tried to sit up straight. This just caused him to wince again and yelp again, clutching onto his chest in pain.

"Pathetic," Inuyasha muttered with a shake of his head.

Lum, meanwhile, floated down to the ground again, the light dying around her. "Are you all right, Inuyasha?"

"I should be fine," he told her, taking his Tetsusaiga and tossing it to his wounded arm. Swinging it with ease, he said, "Yep, I'll be all right."

"But tell me; what about Soichiro? Where is he?" Lum asked eagerly. She then looked to Kyoko, who was still kneeling on the ground. "You're…Kyoko - Soichiro's wife," she said, remembering what Saori had just said. Kyoko looked up at her a little worriedly as the powerful goddess gazed down at her with a certain wonder. "You're…you're so pretty," Lum replied still in a daze.

Kyoko then politely stood up and bowed her head. "I am very glad to meet you, Lum. Thank you for being such a good friend to my husband." She raised her eyes to meet Lum's. "I will try my best to help you as best as I can; whatever you need, please, ask. I want…I want to help; to fulfill my husband's duty to you since he is unable to now and because your friend, Oyuki, asked me to. And to thank you for taking care of Soichiro for all these years."

And Lum's eyes glistened and her heart broke as she suddenly realized what had happened to Soichiro.

* * *

"Almost done…" Miroku said as he wrapped up Yusaku's wound. "There we go; should be healed up in no time."

"Thanks," Yusaku said, placing a hand on the bandages and then winced.

"Well, it's going to hurt if you keep touching it," Miroku told him, standing up and walking over to where the others sat in front of the now demolished Sacred Cave. Yusaku frowned, hastily put on his shirt, despite the fact that it now had a big hole slashed through it, and scrambled to his feet to catch up with Miroku.

"I can't believe it," Lum said quietly as she sat, her eyes glistening with her shining tears. "First Shutaro…then Kikyo…now Soichiro." She placed a hand to her heart and closed her eyes in a quick, silent prayer. Opening her eyes again, she asked, "But how could Kikyo turn on me like that? Why?"

"She thought how everyone else thought," Inuyasha, who still had his white hair and dog ears, said. "That you were an imposter and responsible for the death of Prince Shutaro and the destruction of Rumi. You were the one who destroyed the Mendou Palace, weren't you?"

"Yes, but that was only to stop them from coming through! I had no choice, otherwise the curse on this land would have been much worse," Lum told them.

"Stop who?" Miroku asked, taking a seat.

Lum lowered her eyes and answered in a low voice, "The Demons of the Reverse World."

"Reverse World?" Inuyasha asked. "You mentioned that before."

"It's a world outside of Rumi - a place called Imur," Lum explained. "In a way, it is a reflection of our world here. Thousands of years ago, before I was born, my father sealed up the demons from Rumi and placed them in a parallel world from our own. That's why Rumi had been free of any demons and the Mendou Dynasty was able to prosper so much. But now…when the seal Kikyo and I placed on the barrier between the Reverse World was broken, the demons began breaking free of Imur. So I had no choice but to destroy the gate entirely - that is, the entire Mendou Palace."

"But who is Saori?" Shinobu asked. "And why does she have the same mark I do?"

"She's the Guardian for the Reverse Prince," Lum answered. "That is, the Prince of the Reverse World. Both she and the Reverse Prince wish to leave the dark world of Imur and come to Rumi to rule this world as they feel they are destined to as well as release their own Eternal Goddess, the Reverse Goddess of Imur - the woman Shutaro saw in the mirror. That's the reason why she hated him so much; because she felt that he had taken her rightful place in this world."

"But what about Amane?" Ataru asked. "He wouldn't have really killed Mendou."

"I'm sorry, Darling," Lum said. "I didn't want to tell you…"

Ataru grew angry. "But why would he do that?" he questioned. "He was Mendou's Guardian of the Prince."

"Because he was also chosen by the Reverse Goddess to be her High Priest, just as I chose Kikyo to be my High Priestess," Lum said. She then frowned and added, "At least…that's what he told me when I found him over Shutaro's body with his sword drawn…I don't know why Shutaro can't remember him; he must have stolen his memories somehow for some reason…"

"But just because he was chosen by this stupid Reverse Goddess didn't mean he had to…" Ataru trailed off, scowling and not wishing to finish.

"Hey! Will you two stop acting like I'm really dead?!" Shutaro exclaimed in frustration.

"Prince Shutaro's right!" Shinobu chimed in. "Prince Shutaro's right here and as soon as we find his body, he'll be back to new again!" She then frowned and asked, "Right?"

"He had only been dead for a few moments, and so his spirit still lingered. I used my horn to preserve his body so that his spirit could return to it," Lum explained. "And, now that you've accidentally become his Guardian of the Prince, it's your duty to bring him back. That's why you can see him - and why Amane still can. Because, as Guardian of the Prince, you are deeply linked to each other now - not just on a physical, but on a spiritual level."

Shinobu blushed. "Oh…right…deeply linked…" she awkwardly said, glancing at Shutaro with a frown. When he looked toward her, her eyes quickly darted to her lap and she felt her face grow hotter.

"But there's one thing I don't understand," Miroku began. "I understand that Ataru stealing the Sacred Jewel caused the destruction of the Mendou Palace and the releasing of the curse onto Rumi, but Ataru seems to have had nothing to do with Prince Shutaro's death. Wouldn't Amane have still killed Prince Shutaro, anyway, if he was obligated to the Reverse Goddess? But in Ataru's village, Prince Shutaro reigned for King for seventy-two years. Unless, of course, the barrier between Imur and Rumi never began to break to begin with. How did your father's barrier originally break in the first place? Did it just weaken over time?"

"I…I don't know, really," Lum answered in surprise.

"Hey! Are you trying to say that this whole thing is my fault?!" Ataru questioned. "Because I didn't break any stupid barrier."

"Not intentionally perhaps," Miroku remarked. "But you seem to have a knack of breaking through barriers - the heavens, time, and Soichiro's world."

"But what should we do now?" Sango intervened. "We've woken the Goddess Lum and these questions aren't helping any."

"I suppose next we should wake Prince Shutaro," Miroku said. "That is, if we can find his body and it hasn't been destroyed yet. Also, if we can find this Tenseiga…"

Inuyasha gasped. "What do you need the Tenseiga for?" he heatedly questioned with narrowed eyes.

"That's right," Miroku recalled. "According to Master Sakura, the Tetsusaiga is the sister sword of the Tenseiga…"

"Why do you need it?" Inuyasha reiterated, growing more irate than before.

"We need it to bring Prince Shutaro back to life," Shinobu answered. "That's what Master Sakura said. Do you know where it is? It's very important!"

"I…" Inuyasha trailed off.

But Lum stood up and interjected for him, saying, "It's with a man called Seisshomaru. I made the two swords - the Tetsusaiga was one of power and the Tenseiga was one of healing. I gave the Tetsusaiga to Inuyasha because I knew he was a loyal spirit of Rumi who would use the sword to defend others. I gave the Tenseiga to Seisshomaru so that he would have no choice but to use his sword for good."

"So this Seisshomaru is a bad guy?" Yusaku asked and then glumly hung his head. "Do we really need _another_ bad guy…?"

"He's not a bad guy exactly," Lum clarified. "He's more…self-interested. Like a business man."

"Where is he?" Kyoko asked. "Do you know?"

"On the outskirts of the old capital of Rumi - a couple miles before the ruins begin," Lum answered.

"And what about Prince Shutaro's body?" Shinobu asked hopefully.

Lum closed her eyes and concentrated. She let out a small gasp as the fluttered back open. "His body has been brought to the Mendou Palace…well, what's left of it."

"Why would Amane bring it back there?" Ataru asked.

"I don't know, Darling," Lum answered. "Maybe he didn't have anywhere else to go."

"All right, then; so we know where we're heading," Miroku decided. "We'll first get this Tenseiga and then we'll go to the ruins of the Mendou Palace to find Prince Shutaro's body."

"But…the ruins?" Sango asked warily. "That place is dangerous; it's the most cursed part of Rumi."

"We have no choice, Sango," Miroku said. "Besides, we have the Goddess Lum to protect us."

Lum smiled weakly and said, "I'm afraid that I'm not as strong as I used to be; most of my strength has gone to preserving Prince Shutaro's body for the last hundred years."

"Stupid Mendou, ruining everything," Ataru muttered.

"What is that supposed to mean?!" Shutaro questioned defensively.

"Um…he _still_ can't hear you…" Shinobu reminded Shutaro, but it was in vain.

Miroku, meanwhile, said, "The only question that truly remains is how are we going to reseal the barrier of the Reverse World for good?"

"We'd need to get the Sacred Jewel back," Lum replied. "But, even if we did, now that Kikyo's gone, no one will be able to use it. It's connected to her spirit. I'd have to find someone strong enough to make another jewel."

Inuyasha snarled bitterly. "I swear, I'm going to get that damn witch who killed Kikyo."

"Well, we can worry about the Sacred Jewel later," Miroku decided. "Right now, we should focus on resurrecting Prince Shutaro."

And the others nodded in agreement.


	12. Chapter 12

Hey, all (that very small "all" that may or may not be reading this)! Well, I'm moving the story on over to the Maison Ikkoku Board! Hopefully, I'll get a review there (most likely not, but I'm a glutton for punishment and so I keep on hoping...) Anyway, to all those who have read, thanks and I hope you enjoy this latest installment of _Beautiful Darling: The Lum Chronicles!_

Chapter Twelve: The Journey to the Center of Rumi

Yusaku groaned as he slowly woke up on the floor of Ataru Moroboshi's now incredibly overcrowded room the next morning as it was now filled with eight people, himself included, and of course the two-tails Kirara, although she had thankfully shrunk down to her smaller size, and most likely the spirit of Prince Shutaro, wherever he was floating at the moment. As Yusaku opened his eyes, he frowned in disappointment that he hadn't woke up in his own bedroom, confirming once more that, in fact, he still wasn't in a really bad dream. Yusaku sat up as the morning light poured into the window and looked around to see that everyone was still asleep. "Well, I can always hope…I guess…" he muttered before frowning again. He then yawned and stretched his arms upward. "Come on, Yusaku, cheer up," he thought to himself. "Besides, you can always leave through that well again, if you wanted to…but I couldn't abandon Kyoko like that!"

"Hmm?" he said aloud, looking down at his chest. "Hey, what do you know! Miroku was right; it doesn't hurt at all now." He then frowned suspiciously and dropped his hands to the side. Curiously, he pressed his fingers against his wound. When he didn't feel anything, he pressed harder and harder still. Yusaku gasped and quickly scurried up to the mirror, pushing the blankets off of him. He hastily lifted his shirt with one hand, which Kyoko had been so kind to sow up for him the night before, and began undoing his bandages with the other. When he was done, he let out another gasp as he stared at his reflection in the mirror; there wasn't any sign of the wound in sight, not even a dull scar.

"That's…that's not possible…" Yusaku stammered as he placed his fingers on his completely healed chest. "Where…how…"

"Godai…?" he suddenly heard Kyoko's groggy voice from behind him.

Panicking, Yusaku let out a yelp, dropped his shirt, and spun around to see Kyoko just waking up. "Yes?"

"Oh, good morning, Godai," Kyoko said as she yawned and sat up, stretching out her arms. "I thought I heard your voice…"

Yusaku laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. "Morning, Kyoko…"

Kyoko frowned in puzzlement, blinking her eyes a bit. "Is something wrong, Godai?"

"Oh, no, nothing!" Yusaku insisted.

"All right…" Kyoko replied warily as she stood up. "I better see if Mrs. Moroboshi needs help with breakfast; see you downstairs."

Yusaku hastily nodded, giving her a nervous wave as she left the room. As soon as she was gone and he was left with the sleeping others, he frowned again and placed a hand on his chest. "What's going on here, anyway…?"

* * *

"Ataru!" Mrs. Moroboshi snapped at her son as he and the others all sat at the overcrowded table. "What possessed you to invite all of your friends here to devour what little food we have? We're not rich, you know! And yet you have no consideration for your poor mother's feelings and the fact that she has to slave away to feed them all!"

"Jeez, mom; I told you that it was just for the night," Ataru brushed his mother off as he ravenously devoured his food. "Lighten up!"

"That food is for your _guests!_" Mrs. Moroboshi snapped angrily. "Stop eating it all!"

"You can always make more," Ataru remarked offhandedly.

"Oh, dear Prince Shutaro; why have you forsaken me with such a lousy, ungrateful son and his freeloading friends?" Mrs. Moroboshi sobbed with a small prayer to Shutaro and Shutaro frowned and raised a brow.

"Thank you very much for the breakfast, Mrs. Moroboshi," Lum said with a smile.

As soon as she said this, Mrs. Moroboshi let out a loud wail. "Oh, my cursed son, bringing home the demon witch who destroyed Rumi! And then I feed her! It's as if I've already sold my soul to the devil! No wonder why Prince Shutaro's cursed me to such a miserable fate!"

"Mom, I already told you that Lum isn't a demon witch or imposter or anything," Ataru said, scooping up the last of his rice. "And that Mendou's right here and he isn't forsaking you or whatever."

"Stop speaking such blasphemy!" Mrs. Moroboshi snapped. "Don't you think you've cursed your poor mother enough?!"

"Hmm…Mrs. Moroboshi does bring up a valid point," Miroku began as he finished the last of his meal, as well, and now calmly sipped his tea. "If people see the Eternal Goddess Lum, they'll bound to react in a way that isn't very pleasant for the rest of us."

"Hey, maybe you can disguise yourself!" Shinobu suggested.

"Disguise myself?" Lum asked, picking up a lock of her own green hair with a frown. "But…"

"That would be the wisest decision," Miroku concurred.

"Oh, I know!" Lum said with a snap of her fingers and a grin. With this, her hair slowly turned black and her horns magically disappeared from her head as her fangs disappeared from her mouth. "How's that?"

Upon seeing this, Mrs. Moroboshi let out a pitiful sob. "Witchcraft…"

"I think it looks good," Kyoko said warmly. "You look just like any other ordinary girl."

"Hey, does that mean you won't be able to shock me anymore, right?" Ataru asked with a devious smirk.

Lum's cheeks turned a slight shade of pink. "Well…I…"

Before Lum had a chance to stammer out an answer, Ataru had rushed by Sango's side and, with a few perverted giggles, began, "So…_Sango…_"

Sango scowled, but Miroku, who sat beside Sango, calmly took Ataru by the ear and, with his brow twitching slightly, said, "I'm sorry, but that territory is off limits," while Ataru desperately reached his arms out toward Sango, his fingers only inches away from groping an annoyed Sango's chest.

And Lum grew furious and shouted, "Darling!" a surge of electricity flashing through the room.

* * *

"Well, those shocks of Lum's certainly are powerful," Miroku commented as he and the others walked away from the Moroboshi household, all covered in soot and their hair in disarray, save Lum herself, after Lum's angry tirades against Ataru resulted in all of them being electrocuted.

"I'd say," Sango remarked irritable, brushing the soot off her shoulder. She then glared at Ataru and snapped, "The next time you decide to get her angry, do it when the rest of us _aren't_ around, all right?"

"It's not my fault Lum has such a lousy temper…" Ataru muttered bitterly.

Meanwhile, Shutaro floated along and folded his arms. "Well, I guess that's one thing I'm grateful about; I don't have to endure Miss Lum's painful shocks anymore - the consequences of Moroboshi's utter stupidity."

"You should savor it, since soon we're going to be getting back your body," Shinobu told him. She then frowned. "I just hope whoever this Seisshomaru is lends us his sword."

"Don't start being pessimistic again, Miss Shinobu," Shutaro said, slumping forward. "It depresses me…"

"Well, I've been pretty optimistic for the most part, haven't I?" Shinobu asked. "Although, it's kind of easy to get positive when you realize you've got superpowers and all." She cringed, however, and then said, "Not that they've done much good so far."

"Sure they have, Miss Shinobu!" Shutaro insisted. He then frowned and corrected, "Well, you're not dead yet, anyway, and that's certainly an accomplishment giving your trying situation. Although, I suppose I'm dead enough for the both of us, unfortunately…" And both let out glum sighs.

Meanwhile, Kyoko walked alongside Yusaku with a concerned look in her eye, studying his grave expression as he held his hand up to his chest in some sort of worried contemplation. "Um…Godai? Is something wrong? Does your chest still hurt?"

Yusaku snapped out of his daze and frantically waved his hands. "No! I mean…um…yes! Yes, it hurts a lot! That's it! It's killing me!"

Kyoko frowned doubtfully while Inuyasha, on the other hand, who's hair had returned to black some time before, snorted in disgust. "Wuss," he muttered under his breath, pushing past him.

Yusaku frowned, cheeks turning pink in his embarrassment. "Ow…" he mumbled as he rubbed his now sore shoulder.

Inuyasha then glared over at Sango suspiciously, who was now pleasantly smiling to herself, as if lost in her own thoughts. "What are you so happy about?" he questioned.

"Huh?" Sango asked, her eyes fluttering a bit as she broke out of her daze.

She blushed slightly while Miroku commented, "You do look very happy all of a sudden."

"Oh…it's just that I was thinking, we'll be passing my home village on our way to the center of Rumi," Sango said with a smile. "I'll get to see my brother and my father; I haven't seen them in awhile. I wonder how much Kohaku has grown."

"Oh, that's right," Miroku said, smiling himself. "You're family's village is near the capital of Rumi; it makes sense that a village of demon exterminators would live so close to the place where most of the demons of Rumi congregate." His smirk widened a bit as he rubbed his chin. "I wonder if I'll get a chance to meet your father, Sango. There's a couple things I'd be interested in asking him…"

Sango blushed, bit her lower lip, and quickly looked forward. "It's possible, I suppose," she said curtly and then quickly starting to hasten her pace, taking the lead. And Miroku simply chuckled good-naturedly.

After awhile more of walking, Shinobu asked, "So…how long will it take us to get to Seisshomaru's?"

Lum placed a finger to her chin. "Hmm…I suppose a day or two…it's not very far. Then, after that, it should only be another day to the Mendou Palace. Darling's house is actually pretty close to the capital of Rumi."

"And it's only a day from here to my home village," Sango added with a grin.

"Wow, I've never seen you so happy, Sango," Shinobu commented. "You always seem so irritable."

"What was that?" Sango questioned, shooting Shinobu back an icy glare.

Shinobu giggled nervously. "Oh, nothing!"

* * *

Night soon followed and they began to set up camp, lighting a small fire. Lum frowned as she gazed up at the dark, starless sky. "The sky seems so empty, doesn't it, Darling?" she said sadly, holding her arm around his.

"And still I managed to be cursed with some stupid unlucky star," Ataru muttered miserably.

"How many times do I have to tell you that it has nothing to do with the star, Darling?" she asked in exasperation.

"Well, you're still here, aren't you?" Ataru retorted.

"Darling!" Lum cried furiously, sparks flying from her.

Kyoko, meanwhile, frowned, looking around. She approached the campfire and asked the squabbling couple, "Um…have any of you two seen Godai? I haven't seen him around lately…"

"Godai?" Lum asked, the sparks dying as her bad temper faded. Ataru sighed in relief that he was spared a shocking.

Inuyasha, who sat up on one of the tree branches keeping watch for any black crows, scoffed and muttered, "That useless moron probably got lost; I'll go find him." With that, he quickly disappeared out of sight.

* * *

"There's got to be something!" Yusaku exclaimed as he held up his shirt and stared down at his now woundless chest. "It doesn't make any sense!" Growing frustrated, he dropped his shirt and fumbled around in the dark for something sharp, particularly a jagged rock of some kind to cut himself with when his hand suddenly caught on to a leg. Yusaku let out an abrupt scream and fell back to see Inuyasha staring down at him. He had his arms crossed and was glaring at him with a look of disdain.

"What are you doing?" Inuyasha questioned in annoyance.

"I…um…nothing!" Yusaku exclaimed, hastily getting to his feet and spinning around. Much to his dismay, he found Inuyasha in front of him once more, glowering more angrily than before.

Inuyasha drew his sword and Yusaku gasped with a whimper. "What are you hiding?" Inuyasha demanded.

"Me? What could I be hiding?" Yusaku asked, feigning innocence and then worriedly looked down at the pointy end of the Tetsusaiga. "Could you maybe…um…put that down…please?"

"There's been something suspicious about you ever since you told me that you just 'pulled out' one of the Sacred arrows as if it was no big deal," Inuyasha said, raising a brow.

"But…that's all I did; honest," Yusaku insisted. "And I…uh…thought we were friends now…" He trailed off into a fit of nervous laughter.

Inuyasha sighed in disgust and withdrew his sword. "You're hopeless," he muttered. "You do know that Kyoko's looking for you, don't you?"

Yusaku's eyes lit up. "She is? Really?"

"Well, duh; you're just mysteriously missing in the woods and we have all these jerks after us," Inuyasha said irritably. "Jeez, you'd think you'd try to stay with the group a little, especially seeing as you can't handle yourself."

"I can handle myself!" Yusaku argued and Inuyasha let out a sharp chuckle.

"Yeah, right," he answered sardonically. "You're just as useless as they come." He then turned to leave.

"Hey, Inuyasha!" Yusaku suddenly called out and Inuyasha turned back to him.

"What is it?"

"Um…" Yusaku began, looking down at his feet. "You know, your shoulder…how did it heal that fast, anyway? Was it like…magic? Or does that sort of thing always happen in Rumi or something? You know, wounds just randomly disappearing…"

"My shoulder?" Inuyasha asked in surprise. He then answered, "It's because I'm one of the most powerful spirits of Rumi, that's why. It takes a lot to hurt me. But those things just don't happen randomly." He narrowed his eyes and questioned, "Why are you asking me about this for?"

"No reason!" Yusaku hastily exclaimed and Inuyasha sighed in disgust.

"Jeez, you're a horrible liar; it's pathetic," Inuyasha mumbled, rubbing his forehead. "So, let me guess - that wound of yours is all gone now, right?"

Yusaku frowned, but sheepishly nodded. "But don't tell anyone, all right?"

"Why? You don't want them to think that you're a demon or something?" Inuyasha asked. "_Are _you a demon?"

"Of course not!" Yusaku exclaimed before frowning and adding, "At least, I don't think I am… I just don't want them to think there's something wrong with me, that's all."

Inuyasha paused for a moment of deliberation. He then said, "Well, you are from Soichiro's world. And Soichiro was pretty powerful."

"Soichiro?" Yusaku asked. "But…the way Ataru described him, he seemed pretty ordinary."

Inuyasha smirked. "That's because Ataru Moroboshi didn't know about it. Neither did Prince Shutaro. Jeez, why do you think Lum wanted Soichiro so badly to come and help if he couldn't actually _do _anything?"

"I…I don't know," Yusaku answered honestly. "I guessed it was because they were just friends…"

"But why am I telling you all of this?" Inuyasha said with a scoff. "I mean, it's not like it's any of _your _damn business."

"But you should at least tell Kyoko!" Yusaku argued. "He was her husband."

Smirking again, Inuyasha cracked, "You like her, don't you?"

"What?!" Yusaku exclaimed, face flushing. "What are you talking about?"

"It's pretty obvious that you do," Inuyasha smugly noted.

"I do not!' Yusaku shouted and then glared away in frustration and embarrassment. "Not like that's any of _your_ damn business, right?" he remarked coldly, repeating Inuyasha's own words back at him.

"I guess it isn't any," Inuyasha remarked nonchalantly. He then shrugged and reluctantly agreed, "All right; I'll keep your little freak fluke healing accident a secret - just don't mention anything about Soichiro to the others, okay?"

"Why not?" Yusaku asked in confusion.

"Because Lum doesn't want them to know," Inuyasha said. "Hell, I shouldn't have even said anything to you."

"What I mean is…_why_ doesn't she want them to know?" Yusaku rephrased his question.

Inuyasha sighed in annoyance. "Let's just say that his powers didn't come from the greatest of places and leave it at that, all right?"

"But - " Yusaku went to question further, but Inuyasha jumped up onto one of the branches and disappeared, heading toward the camp sight. Yusaku frowned and dropped his hands to his sides. "Could Soichiro really be…say if he wasn't as good of a man as Kyoko thought he was…?" he trailed off and shook his head, trying to desperately shake these notions from his head, before starting to run in Inuyasha's direction, back toward the camp.


	13. Chapter 13

It's back to the Inuyasha page! Let's hope some good comes from this! And thanks to those lonely few who have been reading this - it's much appreciated! Now I bring Chapter 13 of _Beautiful Darling: The Lum Chronicles! _Try to enjoy, okay? LOL!

Chapter Thirteen: Cruel Fate of the Demon Exterminators

Sango grinned as she spotted her home village. "We're here!" she exclaimed to the others before letting out a laugh and starting to run toward her old home. The others smiled and followed.

As soon as one of the villagers spotted her, he called out, "It's Sango!" The other villagers turned and cheered at her arrival, quickly rushing to greet her.

"Sango, how are you?"

"What have you been up to?"

"It's been so long! It's great to see you again!"

Sango smiled at the warm greeting and said, "I'm so happy to see you all; it has been awhile, hasn't it?"

"Sango!" a familiar boy's voice called out and Sango saw her younger brother Kohaku pushing his way through the crowd.

"Kohaku," she said happily, hugging him as he reached her. "You've grown so much."

"Sango," another familiar voice came to her ears and she looked up to see her smiling father, the head of the village, looking down at her.

"Father," she said, running up to him and giving her a hug.

"I'm glad to see you are all right, Sango," her father said. "Tell me, what have you triumphed over in this world since I last saw you and what brings you back home?"

"I've fought many demons, father," Sango said, pulling away from him. "And I've saved many people; right now, we're just passing through. I have found myself a new mission."

"We?" Sango's father asked and looked behind her to see the others standing with sheepish smiles.

* * *

"To return the Great Prince Shutaro back to his body?" Sango's father asked as Sango and the others sat in their home. "Are you sure that may heal the scars of this land?"

Sango nodded. "Yes, father. I am certain it will."

"But how will you do such a task?" he questioned further. "How is that possible?"

"You just have to trust me, father," Sango said, taking her father's hands. "I believe it's possible, so you must believe, too."

Sango's father placed a hand on her shoulder. "I have faith in you, Sango. If anyone could save Rumi, it would be someone as noble and courageous as you." He then looked to Miroku and let out a laugh. "So, tell me, monk; how has traveling with my daughter been this last year?"

"Sango's been quite charming," Miroku answered with a sly smirk as he glanced over at Sango with the corner of his eye to see she was visibly blushing. "She talks about you and Kohaku all the time, as well as her home here."

"You really don't need to ask him about me," Sango insisted nervously to her father.

"Oh, I see," her father said with a knowing glint in his eye as he took a sip of sake. He chuckled a bit and lowered his cup. "Tell me, then, about your other friends, Sango." His gaze then caught onto Lum and he said, "You know, something looks oddly familiar about you…"

Lum forced a smile as Ataru hastily said, "No, no! She's just some ordinary girl!" Lum nodded as if to prove this point, tugging on her seemingly black hair out of nervousness.

"It's…uh…really not important who they are," Sango interjected. "They all just wish to help return Prince Shutaro's spirit back to his body."

"Perhaps then we can finally have vengeance on that imposter - the demon witch Lum - for cursing us for these last hundred years," Sango's father remarked bitterly.

Lum scowled at this and Ataru cringed, muttering to her through clenched teeth, "Keep your temper…"

"Father, if I may ask, can my friends and I have permission to stay here for the night before leaving tomorrow morning?" Sango asked, bowing her head respectfully to her father.

Sango's father chuckled and shook his head, once more placing a hand on her shoulder. Sango looked up to see his warm gaze looking down at her. "Sango, you need never ask if you can stay here, nor do you ever need to ask the same for a friend of yours. You may stay here as long as you like and you will always be welcomed."

Sango smiled and bowed her head again. "Thank you, father."

* * *

That night, there was a large homecoming feast in Sango's honor. Sango sat with her father and her brother while the others - particularly Ataru - greedily devoured the food prepared for the dinner.

"Darling, don't you think you should try to have some manners?" Lum questioned, but Ataru just gave her grimace before continuing to ravenously eat. "Darling, you glutton!" Lum snapped with a scowl.

Meanwhile, Shinobu said, "Wow, this feast is so huge!""

"You think this is big?" Shutaro asked with a haughty laugh. "You should have seen the parties _I _used to throw! Now _those_ were feasts! This is paltry in comparison. And my coronation feast - " He stopped, placing a hand to his throat, and frowned. "Well…it was going to be spectacular, anyway." Shinobu sighed, but perked up, saying, "Sango's really lucky. Everyone really loves her here; and her father is so nice, too! I wish I was so lucky to have so many people fawning over me."

"Don't you think it's all a little showy?" Inuyasha questioned, ripping off a piece of chicken with his mouth as he held it by the end. As he chewed, he continued, "I mean, I wouldn't want all that attention."

"I would if it was a bunch of cute girls…" Ataru trailed off into a series of snickers and Lum looked ready to pop a vein.

"Darling!"

"Remember - you're in _disguise_," Ataru reminded her with a mocking grin that simply grated on Lum's nerves further. She crossed her arms angrily and slumped down in her seat with a sour expression on her face, irritably glaring at Ataru with the corner of her eye.

"Maybe you shouldn't be provoking her, Ataru…" Kyoko warned, frowning and then looked over at Yusaku, who was miserably poking at his food. "Something wrong, Godai?" she asked.

"No…I…" he stammered before returning his gaze to his food. "I'm just not hungry, that's all, Kyoko."

"All right…"

Miroku, on the other hand, was gazing over at Sango, who sat at the head of the table. He smiled warmly as he watched her smile and laugh with her father and brother and then said quietly to himself, "I'm happy for you, Sango."

* * *

"How is your strength, Saori?" Yuichi asked as he stroked her hair while she rested her head in his lap.

"It's getting better, Prince Yuichi," she said, clutching onto her deep wound in her abdominal with a small wince. "I should be better soon. Then, I will do as you ask of me, and destroy the Goddess Lum and her Guardian of the Prince, as well as the others."

"Don't worry, Saori; this time, I will come with you," Yuichi told her.

Saori gasped and sat up. "But you can't, Prince Yuichi! I need to protect you; you're the true Prince - nothing must happen to you."

"I will be all right, Saori," he said, rising to his feet with a dark glower. Clenching his fist, he said, "Tonight, I will take this land for myself and Yuriko once and for all."

* * *

Sango smiled as she watched her brother sleep. "You stay strong, Kohaku," she whispered to him. "And one day you will be a great warrior." She gave him a kiss on the forehead and then rose, quietly stepping out of the room. As she walked down the hall, something caught her sight outside the window. She saw Miroku sitting on the porch outside, staring intently and deeply at his cursed hand. Sango frowned and then made her way outside, sliding the door open. "Hello, Miroku," she said, greeting him from behind.

Miroku did not look up at her. He simply smiled sadly and said, "Hello, Sango."

"May I sit down?" she asked. He nodded and so she quietly took a seat beside him.

"I envy you, Sango," he told her with a small chuckle in spite of himself. "You truly aren't cursed at all. Rumi has done nothing to scar you."

Sango shook her head bashfully and said, "You shouldn't say things like that, Miroku."

Miroku laughed warmly and replied, "It isn't a bad thing, Sango. I see you with your father and brother; you're all so happy. It must be nice to have a family. Mine…well…" He trailed off, squinting his eyes as he glared down disdainfully at his own cursed hand, squeezing it tightly closed.

"But no one will be cursed for long," Sango reasoned, looking up at the empty, night sky. "Even your Wind Tunnel will be gone soon."

"If we succeed," Miroku reminded her. "And even then we don't know if all of our curses will be lifted."

"Of course we'll succeed, Miroku!" Sango exclaimed, taking hold of his hand. "I won't let anything bad happen to you!" She gasped, realizing she was holding his hand and staring straight into his surprised eyes. Both blushed and Sango hastily dropped his hand and turned away from him. They remained silent for a long moment before Sango finally joked, "Besides, if you keep saying it, you're going to bring me bad luck."

Miroku smiled and said, "I'm sorry, Sango; I'd never want to bring you bad luck." He cocked his head up toward the night sky and replied, "I take it back, then, Sango; you're as cursed as they come! After all, I'm your curse, aren't I?" He glanced back over at her.

Sango nodded with a warm sparkle in her eye. "That's right. You'll be my curse forever." And both laughed warmly together.

* * *

Kyoko yawned as she got ready for bed. She looked over at Yusaku who quietly and glumly prepared his own futon to go to sleep. She frowned, biting her lower lip, and looked down. Hesitating a bit, she finally looked up and asked, "Um…Godai? I know I keep asking you this, but are you sure you're all right? You've been a bit quiet the last day or so…"

Yusaku forced a laugh and said, "Don't worry, Kyoko; I'm fine." But something sad remained lingering in his eyes and Kyoko frowned further as she noticed it.

While Yusaku now got into his futon, Kyoko laid down in her own, staring up at the ceiling. "You know, Godai…" she began. "It's all right to be scared."

"Huh?" he asked in surprise, looking over to her.

"I mean, I'm really scared, too," she said, pulling her blankets over her chest. "Especially after the other day…so, if you're scared, it's all right. We probably all are." She turned her head and gave him a warm smile.

He blinked before blushing slightly and looking up at the ceiling himself. "I…I guess the other day was pretty scary…" he agreed, trailing off as he placed a hand over his chest where his wound should still have been.

Meanwhile, Kyoko turned her head back up as well and continued, "And you don't even have to be here, Godai. You could always go home, back through the well. It's really not fair to you. I mean, I have my obligation still…to Soichiro…." She then frowned and glanced back over at Yusaku with curiosity. "Why are you still here, Godai?"

Yusaku's face turned redder. "Well…I…I couldn't abandon you here, Kyoko," he answered honestly. "Not after you saved me from Inuyasha and all that first time. Besides, I have my own obligation to you now…because we're friends now, right?" He turned and gave Kyoko a hopeful grin.

Kyoko was surprised by this answer, but then smiled kindly and replied, "Yes, that is true, I guess. We've all become friends…all in our own way. Still…I wish I hadn't gotten you mixed up in this whole mess."

"Well, now that's Shinobu's here and can't exactly leave, I'd have to stay, anyway," Yusaku said, trying to cheer her up. "So it isn't really your fault."

"Oh, that's right; it's your duty as her teacher to take care of your students when they're in trouble, right?" Kyoko asked.

"Sort of," Yusaku answered with a small chuckle. "It's more because her friend Kagome is really worried about her. And I made a wish for us…in her well…to find you and Shinobu again before I went through it to Rumi. And now that I've found you two and my wish has come true, it would kind of be stupid to give up my own wish and leave now. I mean, I don't know how many more wishes I'll get!" He then laughed and Kyoko joined him.

"You're…you're a good person, Godai," she said, after her laughter died out.

Yusaku blushed and replied, "Oh…um…thanks." A silence followed and Yusaku swallowed hard, a familiar guilt gnawing at him - the same guilt that had been gnawing at him since the night before. He hesitated for a moment before asking, "Hey, Kyoko…can I ask you something?"

"Sure, Godai; what is it?" she answered innocently.

Yusaku looked up at the ceiling, staring at her only with the corner of his eye. "If Soichiro ever did something bad…do you think you'd ever want to know about it?"

Kyoko's eyes fluttered. "Bad?" she asked in puzzlement. "I…I don't know. I was worried about it before…when I found about Rumi and Lum, especially when Mitaka told us about Lum being an imposter. I thought that maybe he had something to do with all the bad things that happened to Rumi." She smiled and said, "I'm glad he was wrong, though, about Lum. I don't know what I would have done then. And I'm glad that I found out that he was such a good friend to them all, Lum, Ataru, and Prince Shutaro." She then grew curious and asked, "Why do you ask, Godai?"

"Oh, um, no reason," he mumbled, turning on his side so his back faced her. Pulling his covers up over him, he said abruptly, "Good night, Kyoko."

Kyoko blinked and frowned in bewilderment, but reluctantly replied, "Goodnight, Godai…" She then turned over on her side and went to sleep.

* * *

Ataru snickered as he walked in the hallway that night, greedily rubbing his hands together. "Think…all these woman in this village and I can have whichever I want - and Lum can't do a damn thing about it!" He laughed maniacally and then covered his mouth, looking around to see if anyone heard him. But the hallway was empty, everyone already in bed and asleep. "Now…let's see. Who can I see first…peacefully sleeping in their beds…Sango? Shinobu, maybe…" He trailed off and frowned. "I can't believe how pretty Soichiro's wife is; but I guess it doesn't really matter, anyway. It's not like I could…to Soichiro…" He frowned further and slowed down his pace, folding his arms and lowering his head. "Poor Soichiro. I always thought he'd come back…I didn't think he'd…"

Ataru shook his head in frustration. "Come on, Ataru! I can have any girl I want and Lum's powerless to do anything!" he exclaimed, making his hands into determined fists. He then quickly marched over to one of the rooms and slid the doors open, exclaiming with a ravenous grin, "Sango!"

He frowned, however, when he saw she wasn't there. Blinking, he asked, "Sango…?" Ataru scowled in annoyance. "Where is she?" He turned, sliding the door closed again. He then spotted her outside. "Sango," he whispered deviously as he headed outside.

However, much to his dismay, when he got outside he saw that she was sitting and talking with Miroku. Ataru grimaced and muttered, "Stupid monk." He then glanced out over the rest of the village, his smirk returning and his eyes flashing wickedly again. "But there's a whole village of unknowing women here for my advantage…" He trailed off into a series of perverted snickers as he began to creep over to the first house he saw.

"Let's see…" he began, standing on his tiptoes and reaching up to the window, slowly inching it open.

"_Darling!_" a familiar, furious voice screamed and Ataru cringed quickly dropping from the window.

"Lum, shh!" he hushed her, turning to the indignant Lum who stood behind him with crossed arms. "You're going to get me caught!"

Lum's brow twitched in annoyance as she scowled furiously. "I _want _you to get caught!" she shouted, sparks beginning to fly from her.

"Lum, remember to control your temper!" Ataru urgently told her. "You're going to lose your disguise!"

Lum's arms dropped and her hands clenched into furious fists as she strained to keep her temper and her electric shocks in check. "Darling, we are going to bed!" she declared, harshly taking hold of Ataru's wrist and dragging him forward.

"Hey, wait a second! Let go, Lum!" he shouted, trying to yank his hand free. As he did this, something suddenly caught his eye. "Huh?" he glanced to his side to see a white-haired man dressed all in black scowling angrily at him a little distance away. Ataru grew annoyed and scowled back, sticking out his tongue at the man.

It was then that a roar came from behind and Ataru turned in fear to see the Black Dragon Saori fly low and over the village, blowing fire and igniting a dozen houses that laid behind them, engulfing them completely in flames. Lum gasped, releasing Ataru and turning around as well to see the flames rising and an army of demons follow behind Saori. And the village sounded with screams.

* * *

Sango gasped, standing up in horror as she saw the flames spreading. "Oh, no," she whispered, before narrowing her eyes and darting back into her home to get her weapons.

"Sango!" Miroku called after her, but then stood up himself, taking hold of his staff with one hand and charging toward the battle.

* * *

Shinobu hastily ran down the hallway, Shutaro following from behind, until she reached Yusaku and Kyoko's room. She slid the door open to see both had gotten up and cried, "What's happening?!"

"I don't know," Kyoko answered when the windows suddenly shattered, glass flying in. The three winced, holding their arms up to guard their eyes from the flying glass. Then, an angry, bloodthirsty demon jumped through the window. Kyoko let out a scream and Yusaku fell backwards onto his backside as he began trembling at the sight. It rapidly grabbed onto Yusaku and went to lunge its other arm into his heart.

"Mr. Godai!" Shinobu cried and then charged forward, shoving the beast with all her might. The beast went flying into the wall, breaking through it and skidding across the ground. And, through the hole, they could see four salivating demons staring in with murder burning in their red eyes. Shinobu swallowed hard. "Run!"

Both Kyoko and Yusaku nodded and scrambled to their feet, darting to the door as the beast began chasing after them. Shinobu grabbed onto the sliding door and ripped it off the wall, swinging it at the beasts. It smacked into the first two, causing them to fly back into the two behind them and go crashing through the wall once again. Shinobu then started running after Kyoko and Yusaku in the hallway.

Another demon came crashing through the ceiling in front of Yusaku and Kyoko. Both screamed and stumbled backwards while Shinobu pushed her way between the two and smashed the palm of her hand right into the demon's face, causing it to go hurling back and all the way down the hall until it went through the wall and skidded onto the ground outside.

"You're getting pretty good at this, Miss Shinobu," Shutaro commented.

Shinobu smiled and replied, "Thanks." Two more demons then came crashing through the side wall and into the hallway, causing all three to let out startled cries.

It was then that Inuyasha appeared, jumping in front of them and cutting his blade across the two's throats, black blood spraying out of them. Yusaku looked sick as he found himself covered demon blood, as did Kyoko while Shinobu just cringed and Shutaro placed his hand over his throat, recalling his own horrible fate.

Inuyasha, however, didn't seem fazed at all, despite the fact that he was the one covered in the most blood. Instead, he turned around and said, "We should get out of here and to open ground." Kyoko, Yusaku, and Shinobu nodded without a second thought and Inuyasha quickly took the lead.

* * *

Miroku held fast against the demon, using his holy staff as if it were a bow. The demon pressed hard against it, growling furiously, but Miroku gave a push forward, yanked his staff free and then smacked the butt into the demon's head and then swung it around to hit another advancing demon from behind. He then pulled out a few spell scrolls and flung them toward the demons. As soon as the papers hit the demons, they let out a scream and quickly disintegrated to ash. He narrowed his eyes in frustration as he eyes the demon exterminators that had now begun trying to fend off the army of demons. "I could use my Wind Tunnel, but there are too many demon exterminators that could get caught in the black hole."

He then heard a roar from up above and let out a gasp as he turned around and looked upward to see Saori, roaring flames that were hurling down toward him. However, just as the flames went to hit him, Sango picked him up, flying on Kirara and the two went flying up in the air. Miroku smiled and said, "Thanks, Sango."

She just gave a nod before growing fierce and threw her boomerang at the dragon, it scraping against the beasts back.

Meanwhile, Inuyasha and the others had managed to get outside. As soon as Kyoko saw the flames and destruction as well as the people dying, she fell to her knees in shock and fear, unable to stand as her emotions overcame her. Yusaku gulped and took a frightened step back as he latched onto Kyoko's hand.

Inuyasha, however, was angrily eyeing Saori who flew in the air, hurling down flames and battling with Sango and Miroku. He turned around to Shinobu, "You take care of Godai and Kyoko, all right?"

"But - " Shinobu went to protest, but Inuyasha had already jumped up onto one of the houses and then up in the air to battle Saori, his hair turning white and his dog ears returning.

As Sango went to throw her boomerang again, Inuyasha appeared in front of her. He turned and gave her a cocky grin, "I've got this; you're needed down there, anyway." Before she could say anything further, he charged toward Saori, cutting his Tetsusaiga into one of her wings. Saori shrieked in pain while he landed on a roof of one of the houses. Saori furiously roared at him, flames flying toward him, but Inuyasha jumped up just as the flames hit the house and went again to swing his Tetsusaiga at her.

In the meantime, Sango landed on the ground with Miroku and Kirara. "Sango! Miroku!" a familiar voice called out to them and they turned to see Shinobu running up to them, followed by the terrified Yusaku and despairing Kyoko.

"This…this is all my fault…" Sango trailed off, looking at the destruction of her home village.

"Don't say that, Sango!" Shinobu protested.

At that moment, the ground rumbled and from the ground burst a giant and menacing snake demon, larger than even Saori. There were screams at the sight as large boulders went flinging out from the broken ground and started smashing into houses and people. As one went flying toward Sango and the others, Shinobu hastily slid in front of them and swung her fist at it. The rock went hurling back, smacking the beast in the head and then falling to the ground beside it. The snake hissed and angrily glared at the five.

"Um…Miss Shinobu…do you think you're strong enough to hold that off?" Shutaro asked worriedly.

Shinobu winced worriedly as she looked up at the snake unblinking. "Um…"

The snake pounced, its fangs heading right toward them. Miroku went to unleash his Wind Tunnel, but Sango hastily stopped him, crying, "Don't, Miroku! The venom will poison you!" She turned to throw her boomerang, but it was going to fast and she knew it was too late.

It was then that her father came rushing forward, throwing a large sword at the snake. It pierce right into the snake's side, only a few feet away from its head. The snake hissed and threw its head back, shaking it as if to get the sword to come swinging out of its flesh.

"Sango!" her father called out.

"Father!" she cried back, running up to him.

"What is going on?" he asked. "Why is this happening to the village?"

"It must be Saori," Sango said, gesturing toward the dragon in the sky. "She is trying to stop us from raising Prince Shutaro again."

The snake soon managed to cause the sword to fly out, slashing through another poor demon exterminator. The others stepped back fearfully as Shinobu said to Shutaro, "It's times like this you should be glad that you're dead; at least you don't have to worry about dying anymore."

As the snake rushed for them once again, Lum suddenly appeared in front of them. The snake demon immediately stopped, only inches away from her scowling face. Sango's father's face became startled and surprised. "That girl…"

Lum, meanwhile, narrowed her eyes and clapped her hands together. A surge of light and electricity surrounded her as her black hair transformed back to green and her horns grew back on her head. The dragon backed off warily and Lum released her hands extending them outward to her sides, her palms pointed straight toward the sky. The sky rumbled and bolts of lightning came barreling down into her palms and all around her. Then, gritting her teeth, she let out an angry scream as she took that lightning and thrust it toward the snake. The snake demon hissed and shrieked before quickly meeting its demise, falling down to the ground burnt and dead.

"That's…the Eternal Goddess…" Sango's father trailed off as the other demon exterminators began to stare at Sango and shock. "Sango, you brought the demon witch here?" The other demon exterminators began to gasp.

"Father…I…" Sango tried to explain helplessly.

He urgently took hold of Sango's shoulders and questioned fearfully, "Do you understand what kind of evil you have brought to our village? Do you?! You have doomed our home!"

"Father, please…let me explain!" Sango cried desperately, tears flinging from her eyes. But there wasn't any time before another onslaught of demons came upon the village. Seeing a charging demon, he hastily pushed Sango aside and stood in front of her, pulling out another sword to fight a charging demon as it slashed its claws into him. He grimaced and grunted, but took his sword and stabbed his sword into the demon's gut.

"Father!" Sango exclaimed as her father fell to his knees. "Father, you're bleeding!"

"I'm fine," he told her in a strained voice, covering up his wound as the blood began spilling out between his fingers and his face turned a shade paler. "Find Kohaku and take care of him."

"But, father - "

"Go, Sango," he snapped, shooting her an angry and scolding glare.

Sango lowered her eyes as tears began to fall from them and quietly replied, "Yes, father." As she ran off, her father stood up with all the strength he had, coughing into his hand. When he lowered his hand, he could see his own blood. He narrowed his eyes, knowing his time was slowly coming to an end, but charged back into battle anyway.

Sango spotted her brother struggling to fend off a demon with his chain sickle. Sango hastily took hold of her boomerang, flinging it forward and decapitating the demon he was fighting.

"Sango!" Kohaku cried as Sango caught her boomerang and rushed up to him. "Sango, is it true? Did you really bring the demon witch here?"

"I…" Sango trailed off and looked up to see Lum battling, using the lightning of the sky as her weapon and scorching the ground as she hurled her attacks at the demons on the ground. She then turned back to her brother and held tightly to his shoulders as tears fell from her tightly shut eyes. "Please, Kohaku - please forgive me!"

"Sango…?" he asked in surprise, having never seen her cry before. "Sango, don't cry!" he then exclaimed frantically.

Miroku, meanwhile, watched from a little distance away. He grimaced and whispered, "Sango…" It was then that he spotted a demon advancing toward her, its sharp claws extending outward. He gasped. "Sango!" he cried, running toward her.

"_Sango!_"Sango heard Miroku's urgent voice and snapped out of her depression for the moment, sharply jolting around to see the demon quickly advancing. She gasped, but gritted her teeth and hastily held her arms out to her sides to defend her younger brother behind her.

However, just as the demon's claws were about to pierce her chest, she was suddenly tackled by Miroku, falling to the ground with Miroku slamming on top of her. She closed her eyes and groaned, before hastily opening them to see Kohaku's eyes widen as blood trickled out of his mouth. She then looked down to see the demons claws piercing right through her brother's stomach, blood dripping down onto her and Miroku.

"Ko…Kohaku…?"


	14. Chapter 14

Well, it's been a super long time! I really should have posted sooner, as I have finished the story (as I mentioned previously, I believe), but it was kind of a combination of laziness and a bit of disappointment in the story itself; I think I might just being too hard on myself and I recently reread it and don't think it is as bad as I thought, but I figured I might as well post the rest for all those who wanted to read it. I mean, I guess it's kind of cool if you're a fan of all three series (although, it really should include Ranma 1/2 to be a proper Rumiko Takahashi crossover fic, but I've sadly not seen any Ranma which is another reason why I feel like this story is lacking...). Anyway, I apologize for waiting so long to post and thanks to anyone who has read or reviewed this story in the past! And I hope you all enjoy chapter fourteen! :)

Chapter Fourteen: The Demons of the Reverse World Imur

"_Kohaku!_" Sango screamed as the demon ripped his claws from her brother's flesh and Kohaku fell lifelessly to the ground.

Miroku, meanwhile, quickly pulled out another spell scroll and flung it at the demon. As soon as it hit the demon's head, the demon shriek, disintegrating to dust. Sango, however, angrily scowled and violently pushed him off of her, shouting, "Why did you do that?!" as furious tears flung from her dark, shattered eyes.

"Sango, I - "

"Why?!" she questioned once more as she began sobbing. She then crawled over to Kohaku, grabbing her brother's shoulders and shaking him. "Kohaku! Kohaku, wake up! Please! Kohaku!"

Miroku grimaced bitterly as he looked away from the sight of the sobbing Sango crouched over her dead brother. Sango then turned again on Miroku and started shouting again, "Why did you do that?! You idiot!"

She began flinging her fists at him as she sobbed while Miroku tried to fend her off as she punched at him, exclaiming, "Sango! Sango, stop it!" He finally grabbed hold of both her wrists and she fell into his chest, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Why did you do that for? Why?" she kept repeating until she was unable to talk any more as she was crying too much.

Miroku's eyes glossed over with his own tears as he slowly released her wrists and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to him as she cried into his chest. "I'm…I'm sorry, Sango."

* * *

Inuyasha jumped up over Saori and plunged his sword toward her back. A magical shield of energy formed around her, but Inuyasha clenched his teeth and continued to press hard against it, energy sparking from the tip of his sword as he tried to break through the powerful barrier. Finally, he succeeded, his sword digging deep into her back. Saori let out a scream and then went plummeting to the ground as she slowly transformed back into a woman. When she hit the ground, a pulse of energy coming from her as she did, causing the whole village to shake. Inuyasha smirked and quickly made his way to the ground. However, as he did, a furious Saori sat up and held up her hand, a large amount of energy bursting out of her palm and smashing into him, causing him to fly backwards and into a wall.

"Damn it…" he muttered, as he pulled himself up from the broken wood and glared violently at Saori as she stared viciously back.

Ataru, meanwhile, turned his eyes from this fight and looked back to Lum, who was continuing to fight the demons with her electricity. He then spotted the white haired man from before, smirking deviously as the battle ensued. Ataru narrowed his eyes and scowled. "That man…" Then, with determination flickering in his eyes, he ran toward him and raised a fist toward the man, oblivious to Ataru's presence. Ataru punched him hard in the face, much to the man's surprise, and the man fell to the ground. He looked up to see Ataru glowering down at him. "Who are you? Stop this all now!"

The man grimaced, rubbing his sore cheek, and grumbled, "Moroboshi…" He then held up his hand and a pulse of energy flung Ataru from him, causing him to skid across the dirt and into a wall. Ataru groaned in pain as he his it and slumped to the ground.

"Darling!" Lum gasped, her hair flipping behind her as she snapped her head back to see Ataru moaning as he tried to get up and the white-haired man rising with a cruel chuckle. Sparks began flying from Lum as she descended toward the man, hurling a bolt of electricity at him.

The man held out a hand and blocked it with a shield of energy. He glared up at her and said, "You're weak, Goddess. Is it because you've given too much energy to your pathetic prince?"

Lum narrowed her eyes. "You're the Reverse Prince, aren't you?"

The man glowered. "No, Goddess; I am Yuichi, the true prince of Rumi!" With that, a huge burst of energy came flying from him and smacked into Lum. Lum let out a cry as she was thrown to the ground, the electricity around her dying.

"Miss Lum!" Shutaro cried and looked to Shinobu.

Shinobu nodded. "Right!" she declared before running toward Lum. As Yuichi advanced toward her, Shinobu slid in front of her, holding up her fists and glowering fiercely at him.

Yuichi scoffed. "You must be the new Guardian of the Prince." He then heaved another blow of dark energy toward her. Shinobu braced herself as the energy hit her, biting her lip and wincing as she tried to hold her ground against the massive and painful attack. She inched forward, pushing her way through the energy. Yuichi gasped and his eyes widened. Then he scowled furiously at this act of defiance and released more energy. But Shinobu remained steadfast and continued, reaching her hands up toward Yuichi's arm and then pushing it upward, the energy blasting into the dark sky. She then released one of her hands from his arm and punched him quickly in the stomach.

Yuichi went skidding back, but he kept his feet firmly dug into the ground. He placed a hand over his stomach, growling ferociously and eyeing Shinobu with contempt. But Lum was already rising again, preparing another electric attack. As her shock went toward him, Yuichi jumped upward to dodge it and stood on the roof behind him. Then, with fierce eyes he held his arms out and was surrounded with a dark energy aura.

With this, suddenly the demons in the village began disappearing, being sucked toward him and into his dark energy.

"What's…what's going?" Yusaku asked worriedly.

"I don't know," Kyoko answered.

Inuyasha, on the other hand, saw this and glowered. He glared over at Saori and gave another swing of his sword at her. As she dodged it, he jumped over her and headed toward Yuichi. Saori scowled bitterly, but chased after him.

Miroku, however, was already preparing to battle. He gave Sango a quick kiss on the forehead and stood up. Sango opened her desperate eyes and asked, "Wait, Miroku - where are you going?"

"Please forgive me, Sango," he said as he started running toward the fray.

Sango shook her head. "No, don't, Miroku!" she cried. She glanced over at her brother once more and shut her eyes as a few more tears streamed down her already wet cheeks. Then, her face lit with determination and vengeance as her eyes shot open and she got up and began running.

Miroku was already at the front line. "I've had enough of this!" he exclaimed with angry, scarred eyes and pulled off his prayer beads. "Wind Tunnel!" At this, the black hole in his palm was unleashed, sucking Yuichi toward it.

Yuichi grimaced and clenched his teeth, trying to keep himself from being pulled into the hole. "That Wind Tunnel…it's just as Yuriko…" He smirked now and then suddenly rushed forward, disappearing from Miroku's sight for a moment.

"Where - where'd he go?" Miroku stammered when suddenly Yuichi grabbed him from behind, latching onto his wrist that held the Wind Tunnel.

"That's some weapon you have there, monk," Yuichi said. "Was it made under the ominous star?"

Miroku gasped. "How do you - " But Yuichi interrupted Miroku, jolting him around and forcing his hand to point toward the others. Miroku gasped, eyes widening in horror as the winds of his black hole started dragging his friends toward him. "No!" he cried, trying desperately to wrench himself and his hand away from Yuichi.

Kyoko let out a cry and Yusaku quickly held onto her, but the two continued to be dragged toward the Wind Tunnel together. Inuyasha braced himself as best as he could, but could even feel his feet being inched toward the black hole. Lum hastily went down to Ataru and held her arms around him, a magic shield of electricity swarming around them to protect them, but even her shield began cracking. "What…what power is that?" she asked in shock while Ataru's face filled with panic.

Shinobu, meanwhile, was losing her footing and Shutaro exclaimed, "Miss Shinobu!" Shinobu let out a cry as she fell to the ground, the wind dragging her feet from under her and then dug her fingers into the earth with all her might to keep herself from being sucked into oblivion. Shutaro swallowed hard, looking over at the others who were faltering and back at the menacing and powerful Wind Tunnel with helpless eyes. He then looked back to Shinobu and said desperately, "Please, Miss Shinobu, you just have to stay strong!"

"I'm trying!" she said with a strained voice as pieces of the already demolished houses and roofs began flying over and past them, into Miroku's Wind Tunnel.

Miroku winced, feeling his Wind Tunnel widening and becoming more powerful, and begged, "Please, stop!"

"Let go of him!" a fierce and angry voice came from up above and Yuichi turned to see Sango had mounted Kirara and had just swung her boomerang directly at him. He scowled and quickly jumped up, pushing Miroku to the ground. The boomerang skidded against the dirt beside Miroku's feet and then back up to Sango. Miroku, meanwhile, hastily scrambled to his knees and closed off his Wind Tunnel.

The others fell forward as soon as the pressure of the wind from Miroku's black hole dispersed. Sango and Kirara quickly landed, Sango jumping off Kirara and running toward Miroku, who held his hand close to his chest and was trembling a bit. "Miroku, are you all right?" she asked.

Miroku nodded a bit, still visibly shaken, but replied, "I think so."

Meanwhile, Yuichi took this opportunity to attack, sending a powerful energy blast down from above. The ground rumbled as it hit the earth and created a large crater and the pulse from the enormous blast sent everyone flying backwards.

Inuyasha, growing frustrated, snorted and scowled. He lifted himself from the ground and said, "I'm going to get this guy." He jumped up toward Yuichi, who was floating in the air now, and screamed, "Wind Scar!" swinging his sword down with all his might. Just as the sword went to hit, he saw the black crow with the corner of his eyes and gasped. Suddenly, the black crow transformed into the black dragon and heaved its head into him, pushing him away from Yuichi and ramming him and her head into one of the rooftops.

"Inuyasha!" Kyoko cried as pieces of the room went flying up and Saori raised her dragon head again before slamming back down.

Meanwhile, Shinobu cried, "They're too powerful! We had a difficult enough time defeating Saori and now this Yuichi…"

Lum scowled, determination flashing in her eyes, and raised her feet from the earth again. The sky opened up and more lightning than before began hurling down from the sky to scorch the earth and sparking fiercely until their was an explosion of electricity around her which she heaved directly at Yuichi. Yuichi let out a scream as the massive lightning struck him and Lum's eyes narrowed and turned a shining white as the power of her attack increased.

Shutaro watched in awe when he suddenly felt everything begin to blur. "What…what's happening?" he asked and then glanced down at his hands as he watched them begin to slowly start to fade. He let out a startled and panicked scream. "Miss Shinobu! Miss Shinobu!"

Shinobu looked over at him and let out a cry. "Prince Shutaro! You're - you're turning all invisible!"

The others turned to her in surprise and fear. "What?" Miroku questioned, regaining himself. "What's going on?"

Shutaro began frantically shaking his hands, hoping they'd return back to normal. Then he gasped and looked around, things growing blurrier and darker. "Oh, no! The darkness again!" He shut his eyes tightly and cried, "Do something, Miss Shinobu!"

"I - I don't know what to do!" she cried frantically back as she watched him slowly fading away. "Why is this happening?!" She then turned to Miroku and desperately clung onto his arms. Shaking him, she exclaimed, "Prince Shutaro's disappearing! He's going back to the dark place again! We have to help him!"

She then glanced over at the fading Shutaro, whose eyes were still tightly shut as he cried "It's dark! It's cramped! I'm scared!"

"Why is this happening?!" Shinobu asked desperately.

Miroku narrowed his eyes and looked up the raging Lum. "She's using too much of her power; she's taking from the magic she's been using to keep Prince Shutaro's spirit in this realm."

Ataru gasped and took the initiative. He ran forward, cupped his hands around his mouth like a megaphone, and called up to her, "Lum, you have to stop! Mendou's disappearing!"

As soon as Ataru said this, Lum's eyes immediately snapped back to their normal color and the lightning and electricity abruptly vanished. Shutaro opened his eyes to see that he was no longer disappearing and that his vision had returned to him. Meanwhile, Yuichi panted, gaining his strength, and then began to snicker. "Pathetic - you can't even use that much power without your precious prince dying for good," he said callously before heaving a blast of dark energy at her. It collided into her and she let out a painful scream before falling back to the earth.

"Lum!" Ataru cried, running over to her and kneeling beside her.

"Darling…" Lum said weakly as she slowly opened her eyes.

Ataru then gasped as Yuichi landed on the ground and advanced toward them. He scowled and stood up, charging futilely at him with his fist. But Yuichi just grabbed hold of Ataru by the wrist just as his punch was about to hit his face and then swung him away with ease.

"Darling!" Lum cried, but Yuichi took hold of her by her hair and yanked her up and Lum closed her eyes and winced in pain.

Seeing this, Kyoko shook her head and then saw a sword lying beside her, in the hands of one of the now deceased demon exterminators. She quickly ran to it and pried it from the man's dead fingers. She let out a small cry and whispered to the man, "Please forgive me, sir." Barely being able to hold the heavy sword with her shaking hands, she ran as fast as she could toward Yuichi, thinking, "Please, Soichiro…give me strength somehow…"

"No, don't, Kyoko!" Yusaku called out desperately as he saw her running toward Yuichi.

Yuichi heard this and snapped his head to the side to see her approaching. He rapidly smacked his arm across her before she could even lift the sword and she went hitting the ground, the sword falling out of her hand and sliding a few yards away. Yuichi smirked as he watched Kyoko groan and try to sit up while Yusaku rushed to her side.

"Are you all right, Kyoko?" he asked, helping her sit up.

Kyoko groaned again and clung onto Yusaku, trying to keep herself from falling down again.

Yuichi, meanwhile, chuckled and then tossed Lum to the side, smacking her into Ataru who was just trying to get up. He then said as he approached Kyoko, "Well, then…you must be Soichiro's wife…I suppose it's only proper that I dispose of you like I did to your husband."

Kyoko gasped, tears forming in her eyes. "You…"

Yuichi then grinned and held his hand up, a dark energy blast heading toward them. Both Yusaku and Kyoko let out a cry of fear, embracing each other and closing their eyes as the fatal blast went flying toward them.

However, after a moment, both of them fluttered their eyes open to see that they weren't dead. Instead, the dark energy flew around them, but yet did not strike or hurt them. Kyoko held her hand up to the dark, flowing power and said, "How…how is that possible?"

Yusaku then let out a sharp scream of pain, grabbing onto his chest as a throbbing pain shot through it. "Godai!" Kyoko exclaimed. "Did your wound reopen?"

Yusaku gritted his teeth and shook his head as he doubled over. "It's not that," he told her in a strained voice before breaking off into another scream of pain, dropping his head to his knees and squeezing his eyes tightly shut.

"Godai!" Kyoko cried again, placing a hand on his back as her only way to comfort him.

"What is this?" Yuichi asked angrily, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.

Then, suddenly, Yusaku snapped erect, his eyes becoming dark and hollow.

Kyoko worriedly removed her arm from him and asked, "Godai…?"

His arm then snapped forward and Yuichi's blast went flying back to Yuichi, smacking him hard in the gut and sending him backwards as Yusaku suddenly dropped to the ground unconscious.

"Godai!" Kyoko cried again, shaking the unconscious Yusaku as he laid beside her.

Yuichi, meanwhile, got off from the ground with a furious scowl. "No! It couldn't be," he thought and then looked down at his hand. "He used my powers…Yuriko's powers…" His scowl became fiercer as he stood up and shouted, "Saori! We're going!"

Saori, who was still battling Inuyasha, snapped her dragon head toward Yuichi. "But, Prince Yuichi! We're winning!"

"I said now, Saori!" he demanded with an angry growl and Saori gave one last roar before flying toward Yuichi. Yuichi jumped on her back as she rapidly past him, the flapping of her wings causing a large gust of wind to blow the others back. Then, they flew off into the dark, empty night.

"Godai! Godai, wake up!" Kyoko urgently said as Yusaku groaned, but his eyes remained shut.

"How did Mr. Godai do that?" Shinobu asked. "And why did Yuichi and Saori leave so suddenly?"

No one answered, but something dark stirred in Lum's eyes as she stared down at Kyoko and the sleeping Yusaku.

* * *

"Please, forgive me, father," Sango said, tears spilling from her eyes early the next morning. She kissed the freshly dug dirt of one of many graves and then lifted herself off the ground. Sango and the others had assisted in burying the dead, along with those few demon exterminators that had lived. The village itself was in shambles, half of it having been burnt down the other half having been crushed or ripped apart by the battle.

Sango then turned to the dozen or so villagers left and bowed her head in shame. "Please, forgive me for what I have done to our home - for bringing such harm to our village."

One of the villagers stood up for the crowd and said in a distant voice, "You have fulfilled your obligation to your brother and father; now we must ask if you leave this place and not return again, especially with that cursed woman." They glared over at Lum and Lum grimaced, but merely lowered her eyes and said nothing.

Sango held back her tears as best as she could. "I understand; your decision is for the best." She then sharply turned to the others. "We should get going as soon as possible," she said before briskly walking past them.

"Sango," Miroku called after her as he followed. "Sango, wait," he took hold of her by the shoulders to stop her.

Sango looked down at her feet, avoiding his eyes. "What is it, Miroku?" she asked.

"Sango…you needn't go any further, if you choose not to," Miroku told her. "You can give up this mission now; don't think I expect you to continue now that you've been through this. And I'll…I'll stay with you, if you want me to. Wherever you go, I'll go with you."

"No, Miroku; I have a duty to my father and brother to avenge them now," she answered, although her eyes never looked up at his.

Miroku frowned bitterly and looked down feeling a sudden sting of self-contempt. "Sango, I'm sorry; I didn't mean for any of this to happen to you. And I didn't mean for your brother - "

"You chose to save me; I chose to save my brother. You succeeded and I failed," she interrupted in a low, distant voice. "There's nothing more to say on the matter." She then brushed past him and asked to the others, "Is Godai awake yet?"

Yusaku sat a few yards away, ravenously eating a bowl of rice with Shinobu, Kyoko, and a now black-haired Inuyasha sitting around him. "Wow, Mr. Godai! No one in school would ever believe that you were so brave," Shinobu said. "Everyone thinks you're so awkward and wishy-washy. Wait until I tell Kagome!"

Yusaku frowned bitterly and muttered, "Thanks, Shinobu…"

"Are you feeling any better?" Kyoko answered. "I was worried."

Yusaku nodded. "Yeah! I don't feel anything," he said as he finished the last of his rice. "I don't know what happened though. One minute, I was in pain and the next it was morning and I woke up here with you guys hanging over me."

"It is pretty strange, though…" Kyoko said with some worry and Yusaku chuckled nervously.

"Well, at least you're not as useless as I thought," Inuyasha cracked with a smirk as he stood up and called out to the others, "Hey, we can get going now!"

"Right," Sango said. "Come on." She then began to walk toward the village exit. The others exchanged worried frowns as they glanced over at Sango as she marched off without looking back. They then gazed back at the poor village and then reluctantly began to follow.

* * *

Yuichi growled furiously, sending an energy blast careening through the forest, knocking and burning down a dozen or so trees in his rage. "It can't be! Not another one! After Soichiro…"

"Prince Yuichi, what's wrong?" Saori asked in concern.

"It's nothing," Yuichi snarled as an answer. "Just forget it, Saori." Saori frowned, but obeyed. "They'll be waking Prince Shutaro any day now. Follow them. We can't truly destroy Prince Shutaro until he's brought back again. But if they do manage to put his spirit back in his body, kill Prince Shutaro for good. Without their Prince, none of them will matter anymore. It will be the beginning of the end for the Eternal Goddess Lum and the start of Yuriko's great dynasty with me as the Prince. Do you understand, Saori?"

Saori bowed her head. "Yes, Prince Yuichi. I understand."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen: The Healing Sword Tenseiga

"Poor, Sango," Shinobu said to Shutaro as the two walked alongside each other and trailed behind. Sango was leading the group, alone up front, with Miroku a yard or so behind rather than beside her as he usually was. "It's so sad. She lost her home, her father, and her brother. I don't think I could be so strong if that just happened to me."

"Well, I guess she can't give up now," Shutaro reasoned. "She has to avenge her family. It's all about honor and justice."

"I know…but it still would be so hard. I think I'd just want to sit down and keep crying if someone important to me died. I don't think I'd be able to do anything."

"You shouldn't think so little of yourself, Miss Shinobu," Shutaro told her with a frown.

"So…how are you planning on getting the Tenseiga from Seisshomaru, Lum?" Inuyasha asked Lum in the meantime.

Lum frowned. "I don't know. I guess we're just going to ask and hope for the best."

Inuyasha scoffed. "Can't you just force him to give it back? I mean, you _gave _it to him."

"And now it belongs to him," Lum replied. "I don't have the authority or the power to take it back, especially not until Shutaro gets his body back." She then turned her head to see a small home and grinned. "That's it!" she exclaimed, flying up and going to the front. Inuyasha gasped as soon as she said this, a sudden panic replacing his usual smug expression.

"You mean…he lives down there?" Shinobu asked, pointing down the hill to the small house.

"Well, he used to," Lum said.

"Hmm," Miroku began, closing his eyes. "I sense a great power coming from that house." He then looked to the side, toward their next destination. "And coming from the ruins of the Mendou Palace."

Kyoko smiled as cheerfully as she could and said, "I guess we should get going then, right?"

The others nodded and started down the hill when Yusaku looked behind him and asked, "Hey, where'd Inuyasha go?"

"Huh?" The others turned to see that Inuyasha was nowhere to be seen.

"That's odd…" Miroku trailed off suspiciously.

Lum, however, laughed nervously and insisted, "Oh, don't worry about him! I'm sure he's fine! Come on, let's go."

When they reached the bottom of the hill, Shinobu approached the door first. "I guess we should just knock, right?" The others gave nods of approval and Shinobu turned back to the door. She inhaled deeply and said, "Well, here goes nothing!" She then knocked loudly on the door three times.

The door slowly opened, but to her surprise no one was there. She blinked a few times and called out, "Hello?"

"Hello, may I help you, miss?" a young girl's voice asked and Shinobu looked down to see a little girl standing in the doorway with a smile.

"Oh…um…are you Seisshomaru?" Shinobu asked in confusion.

The girl giggled. "No, my name is Rin; are you here to see Master Seisshomaru?"

Shinobu nodded. "Oh, yes, thanks. Is he in?"

Rin nodded. "Come in!" she said and Shinobu cautiously walked inside.

The others went to follow, but Rin closed the door on them. They frowned and winced. "Um…should we knock again?" Yusaku asked.

"Well…maybe it would be better if we all didn't go in," Kyoko reasoned. "It might be a little overbearing with all seven of us and Kirara. But will Shinobu be all right? That Seisshomaru won't hurt her, right?"

"I don't think we have to worry about Shinobu handling herself," Miroku replied with a smirk.

Kyoko blushed a bit and said, "Oh, that's right; I keep forgetting because she's such a small girl. You'd never think she'd be so strong."

"Don't worry; Seisshomaru won't hurt her unless he has some sort of motivation," Lum told them. "Besides, I'm sure we'd hear if she was in trouble."

Shinobu, meanwhile, followed Rin into the house, whispering to Shutaro, "I wish the others came in with me…"

"Just concentrate on getting that sword," Shutaro told her.

"Well, I can't _steal _it from him if he doesn't want to give it to me," Shinobu remarked.

"Why not?" Shutaro haughtily questioned and Shinobu sighed.

"Master Seisshomaru, you have a visitor," Rin said when they reached a back room.

Shinobu blinked to see a handsome man with long white hair stand up. "Hey, he kind of looks like Inuyasha when his hair is white…" she whispered to Shutaro and Shutaro nodded.

Seisshomaru seemed disinterested as he looked over Shinobu. He then told Rin, "Thank you, Rin; you may leave us."

Rin gave a chipper giggle, bowed her head politely, and then skipped out of the room as Shinobu's face filled with panic. "Wait…" she trailed off as she watched Rin go and leave Shinobu with the intimidating stranger.

"Tell me, why would a young girl come all the way out here, so close to the ruined capital of Rumi?" he asked calmly, staring at her with cold, distant eyes. "And what would she know about me that she would come to see me?"

"Um…well…Mr. Seisshomaru, sir…" she began, wringing her hands and looking to Shutaro to give her an answer. She mouthed to him, "Help!"

Shutaro frowned and looked just as troubled. "Um…tell him that…Miss Lum sent you."

"But say if he doesn't like her because she gave him the weaker sword?"

"Well…then tell him that Prince Shutaro _demands_ that he give you the Tenseiga. Yes, that's it! How could he deny you then?"

Shinobu frowned and scrunched her brows. "Um…I don't think that's really going to work either…"

Seisshomaru, meanwhile, raised an inquisitive brow. "Who are you talking to?"

Shinobu let out an "eep!" as she spun back around to face Seisshomaru. "No one!" she quickly exclaimed, face turning red and chuckling uneasily. "I just…uh…sometimes talk to myself…sometimes…" She frowned, realizing that she just said "sometimes" before, but then forced herself to give him a weak smile.

Seisshomaru, unfortunately, was not impressed. Rather, he demanded flatly, "What is your name and why are you here?"

"Um…my name is Shinobu Miyake and…um…if it wouldn't be much trouble - I mean if you're not using it or anything - um…I would really like to borrow your sword," Shinobu said and then bowed her head, with a hastily added, "Please?"

"My sword?"

"Oh, yes - the Tenseiga," Shinobu said hopefully, clasping her hands together and looking up at him with big, pleading eyes. "You see, I heard a story that the Tenseiga is a healing sword and I really need to heal someone."

Seisshomaru let out a sharp chuckle. "Now why would I give you my Tenseiga?"

"Because…um…I really need to heal someone?" she repeated feebly, posing more of a question than an answer.

Again, Seisshomaru didn't seem very impressed. "That's already been established. But what will you give me?"

"I…well…I don't have anything to give," Shinobu said, looking down at her empty hands. She then glanced up at Shutaro.

"Don't look at me," Shutaro said, crossing his arms. "I certainly wouldn't give _him _anything - it's already an honor just to _assist_ me, the Great Prince Shutaro. He shouldn't _need_ anything else."

Shinobu sighed and mumbled, "You know, you're really not helping matters any…" She then turned back to Seisshomaru and asked, "What is it that you want, Mr. Seisshomaru, sir?"

"Why are you asking him that for?" Shutaro questioned. "And why haven't you just told him that he _has_ to give it to you because I command it, hmm?"

"Well, I don't want him to think I'm crazy, considering you're dead and all," she whispered to him. "Then he really won't give it to me."

Meanwhile, Seisshomaru stroked the fur on his shoulder. "I'm afraid what I want a little girl like you won't be able to give me."

Shinobu saw this as an opportunity and eagerly said, "I can! Just ask me. I'm stronger than I look."

Seisshomaru smirked a little and replied, "I'll exchange it only for its equal - the Tetsusaiga."

Shinobu gasped. "You mean, Inuyasha's sword?"

"Take the offer!" Shutaro exclaimed.

"But we don't know where Inuyasha is," Shinobu reasoned.

"Well, we'll find him later; go on," Shutaro continued to argue.

"Yeah, but…"

"You are talking to someone," Seisshomaru interrupted. "Who is it, if I may ask? I do sense a powerful spirit beside you."

"Um…well…" Shinobu hesitated a bit, blushing slightly. "It's Prince Shutaro."

Seisshomaru's narrow eyes widened a little. He then smirked and remarked, "You don't wish to heal someone; you wish to bring them back from the dead."

"Yes, but…now you see how important it is!" Shinobu declared. "If you give me the Tenseiga, I can maybe get Prince Shutaro back and save Rumi. Don't you want the curse to be lifted?"

"I care little about curses, Shinobu Miyake," Seisshomaru replied. "What I want is the Tetsusaiga and as I doubt you can get it for me - "

"Yes, I can!" Shinobu interrupted rashly. "I can ask Inuyasha and - "

"You know Inuyasha?" Seisshomaru cut her off suspiciously and she nodded. "Where has he been all these years?"

"Um…kind of pinned to a tree…" Shinobu trailed off with a frown. She then shook her head and resolutely declared, "But I can get you the Tetsusaiga! As soon as I tell him - "

"He won't listen to you if you ask," Seisshomaru told her coldly. "He won't give it up without a fight. Are you willing to fight him for the Tetsusaiga? Not that you would stand a chance."

"I…well…" Shinobu struggled to find an answer, glancing down at her feet.

"Just tell him, _yes!_" Shutaro exclaimed in exasperation.

"But that would be lying," Shinobu argued. "Besides, we don't even know where Inuyasha disappeared to."

"Don't tell _him _that!" Shutaro snapped with a frustrated sigh.

"You're starting to bore me, Shinobu Miyake," Seisshomaru said. "And, as you clearly don't even know where the Tetsusaiga is now, you are also useless to me."

"Wait!" Shinobu exclaimed. "Give me an hour!"

Seisshomaru narrowed his eyes. "An hour?" Shinobu nodded. "Fine," he agreed. "I'll give you an hour."

"Thank you, Mr. Seisshomaru, sir," Shinobu mumbled, hastily bowing her head before running out.

The others anxiously stepped forward when she walked out of Seisshomaru's house. "So, did you get it?" Yusaku asked. "Where's the sword?"

Shinobu cringed. "He…uh…wants the Tetsusaiga for it."

The others frowned while Ataru grumbled, "It figures that Inuyasha would bail on us right when we needed him."

"I've got an hour to get it for him," Shinobu told them. "Then…well…I don't know what to do."

The others sighed and frowned. "This is a predicament," Miroku said, rubbing his chin. "It will be difficult to find Inuyasha in only an hour. We don't know how far he's gone already and he's faster than the rest of us."

Lum, however, floated up off the ground. "Just wait here."

"Where are you going, Lum?" Ataru asked, but Lum just gave him a smile before flying up into the canopy of the trees and disappearing from sight.

Lum soon found Inuyasha sitting on one of the branches a little distance away. She landed on the branch and Inuyasha's eyes darted away from her as he took hold of the handle of the Tetsusaiga and said, "I'm not giving it to him."

Lum frowned and took a seat beside him. "You might have to."

"What happened to that 'it now belongs to him' stuff? Doesn't the same thing apply to me and the Tetsusaiga?" Inuyasha questioned bitterly.

"I guess I can't force you to trade," Lum admitted. "And I guess it wouldn't be the wisest decisions to give Seisshomaru the Tetsusaiga, even if we need the Tenseiga."

A silence fell between the two of them and Inuyasha asked suddenly, "What about Godai?"

Lum now averted her gaze. "What about him?"

"Do you think he's dangerous?" Inuyasha asked.

"I don't think anyone's dangerous if they don't want to be," Lum answered sincerely.

"Well, we saw what happened with Amane," Inuyasha retorted.

"And we saw what happened to Soichiro," Lum countered back. She then frowned and said, "I wonder if what Yuichi said was true…about Soichiro. Could he really have killed him?"  
"Do you really think it's smart to start wallowing in the past now when we still have to figure out a way to get the Tenseiga?" Inuyasha questioned bitterly. "Though I wouldn't be surprised if he did considering what that witch Saori did to Kikyo."

"That's another thing; I don't have a high priestess anymore or a Sacred Jewel," Lum said. "Although, I don't know if Amane's still…" She trailed off and frowned. Focusing back on the matter at hand, she asked, "What should we do about Seisshomaru?"

"I already told you; I'm not giving that bastard the Tetsusaiga," Inuyasha stubbornly reiterated. "So just forget it, Lum."

Lum frowned and sighed and then gazed up at the clear sky with forlorn eyes.

* * *

"Where is she?" Ataru asked impatiently.

"The hour is almost up," Miroku noted worriedly.

"I'm sure Lum is on her way back right now," Kyoko said optimistically, but found herself frowning in doubt.

However, Lum soon appeared descending from the trees. "Lum!" Ataru exclaimed, running up to her. "Did you get it?"

She frowned and shook her head. "Inuyasha won't give it up."

"What? Why not?" Yusaku asked.

"He's right, in a way," Lum said. "The Tetsusaiga is too dangerous to just give to Seisshomaru…although I suppose the curse of the Reverse World is much more dangerous at the moment…"

"But what am I supposed to do now?" Shinobu then asked when the front door opened and Rin appeared.

"Master Seisshomaru will see you now," she said cheerily and Shinobu cringed feeling herself begin to panic.

"Oh…um…coming," Shinobu said shrilly. She gave the others a helpless look, but none of them had an answer for her. Reluctantly, she then went back into the house.

"Did you get it for me?" Seisshomaru asked her as soon as she reentered his room.

"Um…well…not exactly…"

He scoffed. "I thought so," he replied curtly, turning his back to her.

"Please, there must be something else you want!" Shinobu begged. When he didn't answer her, she then blurted out, "I'll fight you for it!"

"You'll what?" Shutaro asked in surprise and Shinobu cringed.

Meanwhile, Seisshomaru said simply, "You'll die."

"Maybe," she answered back, swallowing hard. "But I'll still fight you for it."

"But you still have nothing to give me if I win, except maybe your life," Seisshomaru remarked offhandedly. "But I have no desire of exchanging my Tenseiga for the death of a mere girl named Shinobu Miyake."

"But…" Shinobu trailed off hopelessly.

"You can have one of my horns," Lum's voice came from behind and Shinobu turned in surprise to see Lum standing beside her. "If you defeat her, then you can have one of my horns, Seisshomaru, which is much more powerful than the Tetsusaiga."

"No, wait, Lum!" Shinobu tried to protest.

But Seisshomaru smirked and said, "The Eternal Goddess Lum…all right, I accept your offer."

* * *

"Why did you do that?!" Shinobu questioned Lum outside before her battle with Seisshomaru was to begin. "If your horn is more powerful than the Tetsusaiga, wouldn't it be even _more _dangerous to give to him? Besides, that's how you're keeping Prince Shutaro here."

But Lum smiled and said, "But we're not giving him anything anymore. And you're going to win, Shinobu, so both my horn and Shutaro should be fine."

"That's not very comforting…" Shutaro muttered and Shinobu frowned with a desperate look in her eye as she looked at Seisshomaru ready his sword.

"But I don't even have any weapons!" she protested, eyeing the sharp blade of Seisshomaru's sword fearfully.

"Here," Sango said, handing Shinobu her kantana and boomerang. "You can use these."

"Yeah, but…I don't even know how to use these things!" Shinobu continued to argue as she awkwardly held both the sword and boomerang. "And couldn't we have just betted the Tetsusaiga instead of betting the thing that's keeping Prince Shutaro alive?"

"Don't worry," Lum said placing an assuring hand on her shoulder. "After all, as the Guardian of the Prince, it's your duty to protect Shutaro and by protecting my horn you'll be doing just that!"

"Are you ready, Shinobu Miyake?" Seisshomaru called out to her.

Shinobu winced and reluctantly answered, "I think so…" She then plodded over to the small battle field that had been prepared, dragging her feet along. She frowned, glancing at the sword in one hand and the boomerang at the other. She groaned before deciding to place the sword on the ground beside her feet.

"What are you doing?" Shutaro asked.

"Well, I can't use both at once, Prince Shutaro, and it seems like you need a lot more talent to use a sword," Shinobu reasoned.

Shutaro sighed. "I guess that's true, Miss Shinobu…" he answered with a frown.

Rin then grinned and said, "Are both fighters ready?" Seisshomaru nodded and Shinobu just forced a weak smile. "Begin!" she then exclaimed and so the battle was underway.

"This almost seems too cruel and too easy to fight such a weak child, Shinobu Miyake," Seisshomaru remarked, staring at the feeble Shinobu as she stood awkwardly before him. Then, he suddenly disappeared from her view.

Shinobu gasped and cried, "Where'd he go?!"

Suddenly she felt a brush of wind behind her and she spun around to see Seisshomaru jabbing his sword directly toward her. Shinobu gasped and fell down, the sword barely missing her. "He's fast!" she exclaimed.

"Get up, Miss Shinobu!" Shutaro called out to her.

Instead, however, she held Sango's boomerang up as a shield to defend herself from Seisshomaru's plunging sword. As she saw it begin to cut through, she cried, "Oh, no! It's going to break!" Holding the boomerang with one hand, she picked up the sword beside her and pushed him back with the boomerang before jabbing the sword forward. Seisshomaru easily jumped back to dodge it and Shinobu fell forward onto her knees. Seeing her on her knees and vulnerable, Seisshomaru went to attack again, swinging his sword down at her.

Shinobu gasped. She sat up and, closing her eyes tightly, picked up the boomerang and swung it with all her might at him as if it were a baseball bat. It smacked hard against him and he skidded to the ground with a thud.

"I didn't know you could use your boomerang like that, Sango," Miroku commented and Sango sighed and shook her head.

"Hey, I think I have a new strategy, Prince Shutaro," she said to Shutaro as she stood up, holding the heavy boomerang up easily with both hands as if it were a club. "I'll just keep beating him with this thing until I knock him out!"

Shutaro cringed a bit and replied, "Well, I guess that works, Miss Shinobu, even if doesn't have that much finesse to it."

Meanwhile, Seisshomaru rose to his feet, and said, "You're no ordinary girl; you're stronger than you look. What are you, Shinobu Miyake?"

"I'm Prince Shutaro's Guardian of the Prince," she said proudly as she prepared herself to swing the boomerang if he came charging toward her. "And if you come any closer I'll smack this thing into you even harder than before!"

"We'll see," he said simply before seemingly disappearing again.

Shinobu winced and said, "I wish he wasn't so fast!"

"Behind you!" Shutaro warned her and Shinobu spun around before swinging the boomerang down on Seisshomaru's head. As soon as she saw she hit him, she raised the boomerang once more and plunged it down on him once more, repeating to smack him down with the boomerang.

However, Seishomaru grimaced and soon took hold of the boomerang, struggling to keep it up as Shinobu struggled to bring it back down. "You're starting to become an annoyance, Shinobu Miyake - even if you are the Guardian of the Prince." He then raised his sword and aimed it at her open gut.

Shinobu let out a cry as she realized this and quickly released the boomerang, giving Seisshomaru the chance to fling it upward and a few yards away. Shinobu then fell onto her backside while Seisshomaru stood up, pointing his sword directly at her throat. "You may be strong, but your skills are lacking. You lose."

"I…"

"Wait!" Everyone turned to see Inuyasha, his Tetsusaiga drawn. "This is what you want, isn't it?" he asked, holding out his sword. "Well, I'll give it to you, in exchange for the Tenseiga."

"Inuyasha…" Lum whispered with a sympathetic look in her eyes as she gazed toward him.

Seisshomaru paused for a moment of contemplation. "All right, brother; I accept your offer."

And everyone's eyes widened, save Lum's. "You mean…Seisshomaru is Inuyasha's brother?" Yusaku asked, but no one answered.

"However, Lum's horn belongs to me," Seisshomaru added curtly.

Shinobu gasped and cried, "No!" while Shutaro gulped nervously.

"Wait! That's not fair!" Inuyasha added.

"A deal's a deal," Seisshomaru replied simply and went to withdraw his sword from Shinobu's throat. However, as he did so, he felt something stop him. He looked down to see Shinobu holding firmly onto it. "What is this?" he asked, glowering a bit.

"We're not finished," she said, eyes narrowing as the kanji on her wrist began to glow through her sleeve. With all her might, she yanked the sword forward, the blade slashing across her palms. Despite the fact that the blade was digging into her hands, she took it and swung it at Seisshomaru's head, the handle hitting hard into his temple, a bit of blood spilling out from it. He groaned and fell to his knees while Shinobu stood up and gave him a hard kick in the face, causing him to go soaring backward across the grass. She then grabbed hold of the handle of Seisshomaru's sword, her own blood from her hands dripping down the blade while picking up the boomerang with the other.

Seisshomaru grimaced and went to get up, but soon saw Shinobu standing over him with his sword pointed directly at his throat. "Sorry, Mr. Seisshomaru - you lose," she said, eyes still narrowed. Before Seisshomaru had a chance to react the mark on Shinobu's wrist glowed brightly as she swung the boomerang down at him with more strength than she had ever used before.

* * *

"Master Seisshomaru! Master Seisshomaru!" Rin cried as Seisshomaru finally came to.

"What happened?" he asked, sitting up and placing a hand to his forehead as he felt a massive pain engulf it.

"You lost," Inuyasha cracked with a haughty smirk. "She beat you."

Seisshomaru looked to his right to see Shinobu sitting, her cut hands now wrapped. "I see," he answered calmly. "I remember."

"Oh, Master Seisshomaru, I'm sorry!" Rin exclaimed. "Don't be sad."

"I'm not, Rin," he told her. He then sighed and stood up. "A deal is deal," he said curtly. "You won and shall receive what I promised." He went inside the house and soon returned with a sword. "This is the Tenseiga. It now belongs to you." He then handed it over to Shinobu.

"Thank you," Shinobu said.

"Do not thank me, Shinobu Miyake," Seisshomaru told her. "That sword is not the answer that you are seeking."

"What do you mean?" Shinobu asked in bewilderment.

"The Tenseiga may be used to bring certain people back from the dead," Seisshomaru began. "However, using it presents an even greater risk than death. If there is any doubt in your heart or that of the spirit you hope to bring back, his soul will be destroyed. He will cease to exist. It is better not to use it at all; at least then the spirit has a chance of finding its way to the afterlife."

"But…" Shinobu trailed off looking down at the Tenseiga that rested in her hands and then up at Shutaro, whose eyes were filled with worry.

Seisshomaru, however, had already reached his front door along with Rin. But he unexpectedly turned back, "There is also another matter; if you are heading toward the Mendou Palace like I believe you are, just be warned that there is a woman that roams outside the ruins."

"Woman?" Lum asked.

"She died some time ago; a piece of her spirit is missing so she is unable to pass on from this world," Seisshomaru explained. "They say it is the curse that this land gave her and the first curse that was ever given. She is unable to move, however, unless she devours the souls of the dead to temporarily make her complete. Of course, they say that is just a myth." And with this, he closed the door.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen: The Woman with Kagome's Face

"You don't think what Seisshomaru said could really be true, could it?" Shinobu asked as they walked. "About that woman?"

Inuyasha scoffed. "He was probably making it up to scare us, that jerk."

Lum, meanwhile, smiled and said, "I'm so proud of you, Inuyasha; how you were willing to give up the Tetsusaiga."

Inuyasha's face turned a slight shade of pink as he grumbled, "Yeah, yeah; it was only because you need that horn."

"I can't believe that that guy was your brother," Yusaku then said. "I mean, I guess you guys did kind of look alike - "

"Who asked you?" Inuyasha snapped and Yusaku winced and cowered a bit.

"But why didn't you say anything?" Kyoko asked.

"Because I hate him," Inuyasha said in annoyance.

"Ah, so it's your usual case of sibling rivalry," Miroku commented. "I see."

Inuyasha's face turned red with anger and he retorted, "Or maybe it's because he's a damn bastard." Then, face turning even redder, he snapped, "Can't we talk about something else besides me?"

"Well, what about the Tenseiga?" Shinobu offered, staring at her newly acquired sword that she held in her hands. "I mean…say if Prince Shutaro…"

"Don't talk like that, Miss Shinobu!" Shutaro exclaimed with a shudder.

"Who's going to stab that thing into Mendou, anyway?" Ataru then asked and then snickered. "Can I do it?"

"Do _not_ give Moroboshi that sword!" Shutaro ordered and Shinobu cringed.

"Darling!" Lum, meanwhile, scolded. She then frowned herself and asked. "Although, Darling does bring up a good point; who will do it?"

"Well, who does Prince Shutaro want to do it?" Kyoko asked, looking to Shinobu who, in turn, looked to Shutaro.

Shutaro frowned without an answer. "I don't know…that thing isn't going to leave a mark on my beautiful body, though, right?"

Shinobu sighed. "You know, Prince Shutaro, your priorities really are pretty mixed up sometimes," she replied good-naturedly.

"I think we're here," Sango then called from the front. They all came forward to where the woods ended to see the ruins of the capital of Rumi, and the black, ashen castle that was once the grand Mendou Palace at the center of it.

"My…my palace…" Shutaro stammered as his eyes glistened sadly. He reached a hand out toward it. "What did Miss Lum do to it…?"

"I've never been this close to the Mendou Palace before," Sango then said. "But I've heard that this is the most cursed place in all of Rumi, so be careful."

"Does that mean there's going to be lots of demons here?" Yusaku asked with a small whimper.

"Stop being such a coward," Inuyasha scolded and Yusaku cringed and blushed a bit. "Come on, let's get going," Inuyasha then ordered.

So they all made their way into the ruins of the capital of Rumi and toward the once magnificent Mendou Palace.

* * *

"This place is so empty," Kyoko said with forlorn eyes as she walked through the vacant city streets with the others. "But the city must have been filled before…" she trailed off, not wanting to finish.

"At least there aren't any demons around," Yusaku said with a feeble smile.

"I do sense some great energy, though," Miroku noted. "It's like nothing I ever felt before."

"It's the Reverse Goddess," Lum replied. "She's in the walls of this city and the Mendou Palace."

"It's getting dark," Miroku then said, looking up at the falling sun and darkening sky. "We won't make it to the Mendou Palace for another few hours, and searching that for Prince Shutaro's body will take even longer. Perhaps we should rest and wait until morning before we go deeper into the city."

"You mean, sleep here?" Yusaku asked worriedly. "But this place is like one big, giant grave." He shuddered as an expression of panic scurried across his face.

"Do you really think that's a smart decision, Miroku?" Sango asked. "It is dangerous here."

"We'll be fine, I think," Lum assured them. "The Reverse Goddess can't harm us yet."

As the starless sky hung above them, the group built a fire in one of the small, blackened, and scorched abandoned homes of the city.

"I really hate it here," Yusaku muttered, wrapping his arms around his knees as he sat by the fire.

"It is kind of depressing," Kyoko admitted, glancing over at the burnt, rotting ceiling.

"All these people died here…" Yusaku trailed off, whimpering and closing his eyes tightly.

Meanwhile, Inuyasha smirked and said, "Don't tell me you're afraid of ghosts, Godai."

Yusaku's face turned bright red. "I - I am not!" He then frowned and confessed, "Well, maybe just a little…"

Inuyasha sharply chuckled. "You're so pathetic; don't you know that ghosts aren't real? You sound like a little kid."

"But…then what's Prince Shutaro?" Kyoko asked innocently and now Inuyasha blushed.

"I…well, that's different," he retorted. "Okay, so _he's_ a ghost, but that doesn't mean they're all over the place."

"Besides, Godai, most ghosts probably aren't evil, anyway," Kyoko reasoned. "I mean, they're probably just lost…it's more sad than scary, really. And even if they were evil, they couldn't harm you. At least, Prince Shutaro doesn't seem to be able to do anything."

"I guess that's true…" Godai replied, but still seemed doubtful.

Meanwhile, Miroku and Sango were outside, sitting quietly together. Finally, Miroku asked, "How are you feeling, Sango?"

"Fine," she replied abruptly. Another silence followed before she asked, "Miroku, do you think we should be worried?"

"About what?"

"About…a lot of things; there's so many things we don't know," Sango said.

"Well, I am concerned about Godai," Miroku said. "He exhibited such a strong amount of power, but he doesn't know anything about it."

"Godai's harmless, though, don't you think?" Sango replied. "I mean, he wouldn't hurt anyone."

Miroku rubbed his chin. "I suppose so… but then what are you worried about, Sango?"

"I don't know," she answered quietly, looking down at her knees. "I was thinking…about your Wind Tunnel."

Miroku grimaced and gazed resentfully down at his cursed hand. "The Reverse Prince did seem to know about it."

"Please, Miroku, try to stay safe for me," Sango said suddenly, although she refused to lift her eyes from her knees, a couple tears dropping onto them.

Miroku lifted a hand out to her. "Sango - "

"I'll forgive you for Kohaku if you promise me you'll live."

Miroku frowned and dropped his hand to his side. He squinted his eyes bitterly as he stared at the quietly crying Sango, a look of self-contempt and guilt stirring in them. Then he lifted his forlorn gaze up to the starless night and said, "I'm sorry, Sango, but I can't make that promise to you."

And Sango swallowed hard as a few more tears pattered onto her knees. And, in a trembling whisper, she replied, "I know."

* * *

Ataru grumbled as he walked down the vacant streets picking up various pieces of wood and debris. "I don't see why I have to be the one to collect stupid firewood for," he muttered, picking up another and adding it into the pile that was wedged under his arm. "Lum's always making me work…" His stomach rumbled and he groaned in frustration. "Man, I'm hungry! They better have dinner ready by the time I get back…"

He then heard an odd, eerie howling noise. "Huh?" Ataru blinked a few times in bewilderment. He stood up and looked around, but saw nothing. He shrugged and went to pick up another piece when the eerie noise came to his ear again. He gasped and shot up straight with a frantic whimper. Chewing on his lower lip, he stood frozen, listening attentively and fearfully for the noise again. When he didn't hear it he finally found the nerve to call out, "Hello…? Is anyone there…?"

It was then that at the end of the street a woman appeared with her back to him, dressed in priestess clothes and with a bow and arrows on her back. Ataru's face immediately lit up with a lecherous grin. He snickered deviously as he slowly tiptoed toward her, readying himself to pounce on her. However, as soon as he was a foot away from her, his free arm reaching out to grab her, four large, floating snakes appeared in front of him, circling around her. "Huh?" Ataru asked and stopped, startled by their sudden appearance. One then slinked toward him and passed right through him. Ataru's face paled as his eyes widened and his teeth chattered in panicked.

"Wha…wha…wha…?!" he stammered as the others soon followed, passing right through him and sending a cold shiver up his spine. He let out a frightened scream and dropped the pile of firewood, running for his life.

* * *

Lum was surprised when she saw a frantic Ataru run into the abandoned house they had set up to sleep in for the night, as were Kyoko, Yusaku, and Inuyasha. She hastily flew over to him, crying out, "Darling, what's wrong?!"

"There…there was this woman!" he exclaimed in his panic.

Lum immediately scowled furiously. "_What?!_"

"No, no!" Ataru, however, quickly interjected. "She had these snake…things…I don't know what they were, but they passed right through me!" He shuddered and wrapped his arms tightly around himself in an attempt to warm himself up again.

"Snakes?" Lum asked, now confused instead of angry.

"But they were flying!" Ataru exclaimed, still panicking.

Yusaku, meanwhile, stood up and began panicking himself. "Oh, no; there really are ghosts here!"

"Maybe we should just all calm down…" Kyoko reasoned.

"Yeah; he's probably just delusional," Inuyasha cracked.

"I'm telling you it was real!" Ataru defensively shouted before taking hold of Lum's arms. "You believe me, don't you, Lum?"

Lum frowned. "Of course I believe you, Darling, but I've never heard of flying snakes being ghosts before."

"Maybe the woman was the ghost," Kyoko suggested. "And…um…the snakes belonged to her…"

"Why would a ghost woman have a bunch of flying snakes for?" Inuyasha questioned and Kyoko frowned, unable to come up with an answer.

"But they didn't hurt you, did they, Darling?" Lum asked. "I mean, if they just passed through you - "

"But they were creepy!" Ataru protested and shuddered again at the memory. "You have to do something about them, Lum!"

"Well, I don't want to hurt them if they're not really harming anyone," Lum answered honestly. She then scowled and added, "Besides, it will keep you away from that woman, whoever she was."

"Yeah, but…" Ataru grimaced bitterly and sat on the floor. "Well, I'm not going out to get anymore firewood."

Lum frowned. "Darling, why do you have to be such a coward…?" she mumbled in disappointment.

"That's all right," Kyoko assured Ataru. "Shinobu went to get some, too."

* * *

"I'm really sorry about your city, Prince Shutaro," Shinobu replied as she and Shutaro walked together down the vacant streets close to the place where they had set up camp collecting firewood. She held a large pile of wood in the palm of her hand with ease. "I'm sure it was really nice way back when."

"It was magnificent!" Shutaro exclaimed with a wide grin. "The city was always filled with people and there were parades and festivals - all in my honor, of course. Merchants came around from all over and the buildings were all beautiful, designed by my ancestors! And my palace! It was white and gold and the windows were made of stained glass. You should have seen how everything glowed when the sun shined down on it; it was as if it was its own star!" He then frowned, looking over at the black and desolate palace. "It really was something…" he said, trailing off sadly.

Shinobu frowned herself and replied, "Well, once you get your body back, you can always rebuild."

A spark of hope flashed in Shutaro's eyes at this. "That's right! I'll make it even better and more spectacular than it was! Everyone will be amazed by its magnificence! I'll make the castle ten stories higher, and I'll line the windows with diamonds! And when the sun hits it, it will look brighter than a star - it will be more glorious than the sun itself!"

"Hey, what's that?" Shinobu asked unexpectedly and Shutaro turned to see her pointing toward four flying snakes slinking toward them.

He blinked a few times in bewilderment. "Flying…snakes…?"

"They're coming toward us," Shinobu replied, her voice slowly filling with worry. "Do you think they're some kind of demons?"

"I don't know, Miss Shinobu," Shutaro answered honestly.

Shinobu held her hands in front of her as they came towards her. However, to her surprise, they passed right through her. "Huh?" she said, gazing at her hands as she watched them mysteriously go through them before passing through her chest. "What's going on?"

"I guess they're not going to hurt you," Shutaro said when he suddenly noticed they were heading to him. He let out a startled cry as one wrapped itself around his right arm. He quickly swung his arm about and exclaimed, "Get it off! Get it off!"

Shinobu's eyes widened and she ran over to Shutaro, trying to grab the snake off of his arm, but her hand kept passing through it and Shutaro. In the meantime, the second snake began to slither and twist itself around his left leg and start dragging him. "Miss Shinobu, do something!"

"I don't know what to do!" she cried.

"You're my Guardian of the Prince! You're supposed to know what to do!"

"Try fighting them off!"

As the third went for his right leg, he kicked its head hard. He then dug his left hand into the first snake and started trying to pry it from. "Get off of me!" he shouted angrily, finally managing to yank it off and fling it through a wall. The fourth was now approaching and the third was following behind, despite the blow it had received to the head. Shutaro let out an "eek!" before frantically trying to shake the second snake off his leg. Finally, with a strong thrust of his left leg, he managed to kick it off and cause it to hit into the other two advancing ones. But the first had reappeared and the other three quickly followed suit. "They keep coming back!" Shutaro exclaimed.

"Run!" Shinobu cried and the two hastily started running back toward the camp.

* * *

When they reached the abandoned home, the others had all gathered inside and had begun eating dinner. Shinobu flung open the door and a panicked Shutaro came flying in after her. "There are these snakes!"

They all sighed in disappointment. "Yeah, we heard about that," Inuyasha told her. "You can calm down. They can't hurt you."

"They're trying to kidnap Prince Shutaro!" Shinobu blurted out.

"What?!" the group cried, hastily leaping to their feet.

Lum then gasped and said, "It must be what Seisshomaru meant; that woman you saw, Darling, is using these snakes to collect her souls for her to eat."

"What?!" Shutaro now choked out when the four flying snakes passed through the wall. Shutaro let out a terrified scream at the sight of them and the others gasped, readying themselves to fight.

"How do we fight them?!" Shinobu asked urgently. "Every time I tried, my hand passed right through them!"

Shutaro, meanwhile, frantically swung his arms at them, desperately trying to fend them off. But it was in vain, as one grabbed onto his arm and then wrapped around his chest, pinning his arm to his side. Another, latched onto his leg again and went flying upward, turning him upside down in the process. He let out a startled gasp and then shouted to Shinobu, "Miss Shinobu! Help!"

"Prince Shutaro!" she cried fearfully as the snakes took off, dragging Shutaro along with them. Shinobu's eyes narrowed and she quickly darted out of the house to follow them.

"Wait, Shinobu!" Miroku called out to her, but she was already gone.

* * *

Shinobu ran as fast as her legs could carry her. She looked above her to see Shutaro being dragged by the flying serpents; they were only a couple feet in front of her and she desperately followed. "Please, don't let Prince Shutaro be devoured," she thought. "Please, let me find some way to save him!" She then called up to him, "Don't worry, Prince Shutaro! I'll save you!"

She ran a bit more until she spotted a woman dressed in priestess clothes with her back facing Shinobu - the same woman Ataru had seen. Shinobu narrowed her eyes fiercely as soon as she saw her. Her legs picked up speed and she charged for her tackling her with all her might.

The woman went toppling to the ground and Shinobu went crashing down on top of her. "I won't let you devour anyone!" Shinobu declared, but the woman angrily pushed Shinobu off of her. Shinobu skidded into the ground while the woman stood up, grabbing hold of her bow and pulling out an arrow, whose tip began glowing.

Shinobu groaned and slowly opened her eyes as she sat up. She then looked up. She gasped at the familiar face glaring down at her. "It…it can't be! Ka…Kagome…?" she whispered aloud. She then shook her head, took hold of the woman's priestess pants, and cried, "Kagome, stop! It's me, Shinobu! Your best friend!"

The woman's eyes remained cold as she lifted her bow and pointed the arrow directly at Shinobu's head. "My name isn't Kagome; my name is Kikyo."

Shinobu's eyes widened. But as Kikyo went to release her arrow, the voice of Lum commanded, "Stop!"

Kikyo immediately turned around and pointed her arrow directly at Lum. "You!" She narrowed her eyes and pulled her arrow back further. "You dare show your face to me, you imposter!" She then released the Sacred Arrow; it went rapidly soaring directly toward Lum.

However, Inuyasha suddenly stepped in front of Lum and caught the arrow, breaking it in half. Kikyo became more infuriated. "Traitor!" she screamed at him, tears falling from her eyes.

"Kikyo, stop this!" Inuyasha yelled back. "Lum isn't an imposter at all! We've all been tricked!"

"I don't believe you!" she snapped, flinging another sacred arrow at them, the tip glowing brightly.

Lum now pushed Inuyasha to the side and held her hand out, the arrow stopping mid-air in front of her. "You cannot use these arrows against me, Kikyo," she told her. "These arrows and your powers were given to you by your goddess. Now, please, Kikyo - "

Kikyo sneered. "You are not my goddess!" she interrupted angrily. "You abandoned me to this cruel fate after you destroyed the palace and killed Prince Shutaro - you've cursed the entire land of Rumi!"  
"I didn't - "

"Then how do you explain this?" Kikyo questioned harshly, gesturing toward the ruins all around them. "This place had been destroyed because of you!" She then pulled out another arrow, but aimed it this time at Inuyasha. "Since they will not work against her, I will use it against the other traitor!" She shot the arrow. Inuyasha hastily jumped as it flew toward him, missing him barely and then shot a second one at him.

"Kikyo, stop, please!" Lum cried out, tears falling from her eyes.

"How did you escape that tree, Inuyasha?" Kikyo, meanwhile, interrogated as she shot another arrow at him. "Did your _goddess_ save you?" And then she shot another.

"Damn it, Kikyo!" Inuyasha exclaimed, dodging the arrows. "You don't know what you're talking about!"

"Then tell me why I've been trapped here for the last hundred years, eating the souls of the dead just so I can move?" she questioned furiously and then glared at Lum. "Is that not the curse you gave me, demon witch?" Her eyes then returned back to Inuyasha with indignant vengeance and shot another arrow at him.

Lum gasped and dropped her eyes. "The Sacred Jewel," she whispered. "A piece of her spirit is inside that jewel and she won't be able to pass on until the jewel is broken. But now the Reverse Goddess…" Lum then raised her gaze and cried out, "Kikyo, please - your soul is trapped here because - "

"Silence!" Kikyo snapped. "I don't want to hear anymore of your lies!"

"Why won't they fight her?" Shinobu thought in the meantime as she watched helplessly as she from the ground. "And why does she look just like…?" She then shook her head, casting this thought aside for the moment, and rose resolutely. "Stop!" Shinobu declared and then grabbed onto Kikyo's arm, causing Kikyo's last shot to go wide of her target.

Inuyasha's eyes filled with a sudden panic as he exclaimed, "Don't hurt her!"

Shinobu's expression became one of confusion as she loosened her grip on Kikyo. "But…"

Kikyo saw this as her opportunity as another arrow magically appeared in her hand and she shot it directly at Inuyasha. It hit his shoulder and pierced right through it with an explosion of light. Inuyasha let out a scream as he fell to his knees.

"Inuyasha!" Lum called out, flying swiftly to his side.

Meanwhile, another arrow appeared in Kikyo's hand and she quickly spun around and slashed the sharp point across Shinobu's face. Shinobu let out a cry and fell back to the ground as a deep cut formed in her cheek, her blood sprinkling out with a sparkling light of the Sacred Arrow. Shinobu let out a whimper, having never felt such pain before, especially from what seemed to be only a minor cut, and cupped her hand over her fresh wound.

Kikyo, meanwhile, said, "Now I will have my soul and my strength will increase even further." She then gestured up to her serpents that were flying in the sky high above them still.

"No, wait!" Shinobu cried out desperately. "Please don't eat Prince Shutaro!"

Kikyo snarled and looked down at Shinobu. "What?" Then, as soon as her eyes shifted back forward, however, she saw Shutaro's face in front of hers, still hanging upside down as the Kikyo's snakes held him. Her eyes fluttered in surprise. "Prince…Prince Shutaro…?"

Shutaro smiled nervously with an awkward chuckle. "Hello, Kikyo…"

Kikyo closed her eyes, her brow twitching as she grimaced. Grudgingly, she commanded, "Release him."

The snakes obeyed and dropped Shutaro. Shutaro quickly flew right-side up again as Shinobu got to her feet and ran up to him. "Prince Shutaro, are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Miss Shinobu…well, at the very least, I haven't been eaten, anyway," Shutaro replied. "Which reminds me…" He turned to Kikyo and pointed a self-righteous finger at her. "How _dare_ you try to eat me, the Great Prince Shutaro!"

Shinobu sighed and frowned. "He's all right…" she mumbled.

Kikyo, on the other hand, replied coolly, "I was unaware your soul was still roaming among the thousands of souls still lost in this ruined city, your majesty."

"You mean you mistook me for some ordinary _peasant _soul?!" Shutaro heatedly questioned.

"Now, now, Prince Shutaro…" Shinobu said with a worried laugh.

Kikyo glared at her. "How is it that you can see him?"

"Well…I'm his Guardian of the Prince," Shinobu explained and rolled up her sleeve to show her the mark. "See?"  
Kikyo gasped. "That means…"

"Kagome?!" they heard Yusaku exclaim and turned to see him and the others had arrived. Yusaku's face was one of complete shock and bafflement. "But what are you doing here?! Don't tell me you came through the well, too!"

Kikyo scoffed and turned her back to them. "You're speaking nonsense," she said coldly to him.

"But…" Yusaku trailed off with a frown.

She glared over at Inuyasha and Lum as Lum ripped out the arrow from Inuyasha and he let out a painful groan. "I apologize, Prince Shutaro, but I am afraid I can be no help to you," she said coldly as she started to walk away.

"But, Kikyo - " Shutaro tried to protest.

"Know this, though - whatever she has told you, Lum has still abandoned us," Kikyo interrupted, her voice becoming darker. "Rumi would not be in the state it is if she hadn't." She then proceeded to walk away once again.

"Wait!" Lum cried out, flying up and toward her with regretful tears of guilt flinging from her beautiful eyes. Kikyo turned her head only slightly to glare at her and Lum stopped midair. She looked downward and placed a loose fist to her heart. "I promise you, Kikyo…I'll find a way to free your spirit from this place. You will find peace. It is my duty to you, as your goddess and as a friend."

Kikyo's hurt eyes remained on her for a moment longer and then she turned away, her snakes following behind before disappearing into the night.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen: The Place Where We First Met

"But she _looks_ like Kagome," Yusaku persisted as the others had gathered back in the abandoned home.

"No, she _looks_ like Kikyo," Ataru retorted. "I mean, who the heck is this Kagome, anyway?"

"She's my best friend," Shinobu answered. "And a student of Mr. Godai's. Kagome Higurashi. She's pretty good with a bow and arrow, too. She's the captain of our school's archery team back in Tomobiki - I mean, uh, Soichiro's world."

Yusaku let out a frustrated sigh and exclaimed, "This is all so confusing! Why does she look like Kagome for?"

"I don't know," Shinobu answered. "It is really bizarre, though; and the well was outside her home, too, right?"

Yusaku nodded. "Do you think she's got something to do with all of this, too?"

"It's possible," Miroku reasoned. "At least, the coincidences are mysterious…"

"Wait a second!" Shinobu gasped, standing up.

"What is it, Miss Shinobu?" Shutaro asked while the others turned to her.

"Kagome told me about this dream she used to have - about her Prince Charming!" she began excitedly. "I can't believe I didn't think of it sooner!"

"Dream?" Lum asked. "What kind of dream?"

"She said she used to dream about this man with long black hair dressed all in red," she said, turning to Inuyasha.

Inuyasha's face turned pink. "Wha…what?"

"It seems that someone has a secret admirer," Miroku teased with a smirk and Inuyasha's face turned redder.

"Shut up, monk," he snapped bitterly.

"But anyone can have long black hair and been wearing red," Kyoko interjected with a frown.

"But that's just it!" Shinobu quickly countered. "She said she saw him pinned to a tree outside the well in her backyard!"

"You mean, the same well that I came through?" Yusaku asked. "And the one that Inuyasha was next to when I first got here…"

They all looked to Inuyasha while Inuyasha's face turned a bright shade of scarlet to watch his attire. "Wait a second! I don't know anything about this Kagome girl!"

Lum gasped. "That must be it!" she exclaimed suddenly.

"What is it, Lum?" Ataru asked as the others looked on with the same bewilderment.

"I'll explain later, Darling," she said and then turned to Inuyasha. "Inuyasha, can you go back to the well and through to Soichiro's world and bring this Kagome girl back to the Mendou Palace? After all, you're the fastest out of all of us."

"But…I…" Inuyasha stammered.

"She lives in the house right next to the well on Soichiro's side," Yusaku informed him.

"And tell her Shinobu and Mr. Godai sent you!" Shinobu added. "She'll be sure to come then!"

"Go on," Miroku chimed in with a smirk. "After all, your princess awaits you, Prince Charming."

Inuyasha's face managed to become redder as he became more desperate and embarrassed. "But…can't someone else - "

"Sorry, but that's an order from the Eternal Goddess Lum," Lum replied, folding her arms stubbornly with a smug grin.

"But, Lum - " Inuyasha tried to protest, but she shot him a glare and then sighed in defeat. "All right," he reluctantly agreed before hastily darting out of the home in a blink of an eye.

"So, Lum, what's up with this girl, anyway?" Ataru asked.

Lum gave a knowing smile and replied simply, "She's going to be my new high priestess, of course!"

* * *

The night soon passed and at dawn they all headed to the Mendou Palace. When they arrived, they all stared up at the tall castle that towered up to the sky. "Wow…" Shinobu began, bending her neck back as far as she could to try and see the top of the enormous building. "This place really is huge."

"It's going to take forever to search the whole thing," Yusaku said with a frown.

"Are you sure that Mendou's body is in here, Lum?" Ataru asked, grimacing at the thought of having to trek through the entire palace to try and find it.

Lum nodded. "I'm certain, Darling."

Ataru sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Jeez, Mendou sure does cause a lot of trouble; do we _really_ need to bring him back?"

Shutaro shot Ataru a glare. "What was that, Moroboshi?" he questioned heatedly.

"He _still_ can't hear you," Shinobu reminded him once more, but, as usual, Shutaro didn't take much heed.

"Well, maybe we can split up," Kyoko then suggested. "We can search the palace faster that way. Unless you know where he is, Lum."

Lum shook her head. "I can't get any closer than the Mendou Palace. Other than that…"

"So we'll split up and search," Miroku decided as Lum trailed off.

"I'll go with Kyoko," Yusaku immediately offered and both he and Kyoko blushed. Trying to correct himself, he stammered, "I mean…well…"

"I don't think that's a good idea," Sango interrupted. "You two aren't able to defend yourselves if trouble shows up."

Yusaku frowned, face turning redder. "Oh, right…"

"I'll go with Kyoko and Sango can go with Godai," Miroku said, inching his way over to Kyoko with a sly smirk.

Sango gave him a look of daggers and corrected, "_You'll _go with Godai."

Noticing the perturbed look in her glare, Miroku smiled with a nervous laugh and said, "Right, Sango. Whatever you say."

"I'll go with Sango!" Ataru hastily exclaimed, jumping over to her, but Sango smacked him in the face just as he was about to topple her.

As he fell to the ground with a groan, she snapped, "I'm _going _with Kyoko, you idiot."

"That's right, Darling," Lum said, latching herself onto his arm and starting to drag him toward the palace. "You're coming with me!"

"But I _always_ have to go with you!" Ataru protested miserably from the ground.

"Darling!" Lum snarled, sparks flying around her and Ataru gulped nervously and was quiet.

"But what about Shinobu?" Kyoko asked.

Seeing this second opportunity, Ataru quickly leaped up from the ground. "I'll go with Shinobu!"

"Darling!" Lum shouted once more with a jealous scowl yanking him back to the ground in her fury.

Meanwhile, Shinobu muttered, "I swear, men are all alike."

"Don't tell me I'm that bad, Sango," Miroku remarked with a warm smile.

Sango glared down at Ataru as he still tried reaching his hands out toward Shinobu while Lum put her foot down on his back so he couldn't crawl over to Shinobu. "You're close enough," she muttered in disgust with a twitching brow.

"That's all right, Kyoko," Shinobu, meanwhile, replied with a good-natured smile. "I can take care of myself - besides, I've got Prince Shutaro to keep me company."

"All right," Miroku decided. "We'll split up and meet back at the entrance in the hour."

"Say if we get lost?" Yusaku asked worriedly. "Or say if we do find the body?"

"Don't worry; I'll be able to find you," Lum told him. "If you need me, just call." She gave him a smile before tugging on Ataru's arm while Yusaku frowned doubtfully. "Come on, Darling!"

"Yeah, yeah…" Ataru muttered, reluctantly following along.

"Are you ready, Kyoko?" Sango asked. Kyoko nodded and then started to follow Sango in after Lum and Ataru.

Miroku sighed, watching Kyoko and Sango walk inside. Placing a hand on Yusaku's shoulder, he joked, "Sadly, I don't think we'll find each other's company as enjoyable as we would if we were with our female companions."

Yusaku's face turned red as he hastily exclaimed, "Me and Kyoko - we're not - it's not like that!"

Miroku laughed good-naturedly as he replied, "Come along, Godai." Yusaku frowned miserably and sighed in self-pity as he slumped forward. He then followed after Miroku.

Shinobu and Shutaro were the last two that remained. "Well, I guess this is it," Shinobu said as the others disappeared into the palace. With a forced smile, she inhaled deeply, trying to calm herself. "We're going to finally find your body."

Shutaro nodded, looking up at the ruins of his palace with a regretful gaze. "Yes, Miss Shinobu; I hope you're right."

She smiled sympathetically as she looked up at him and saw his forlorn expression. She then looked back down when she finally noticed that she was the one still holding the Tenseiga. "Oh, no!"

"What is it?" Shutaro asked urgently, snapping out of his melancholy daze.

"The Tenseiga! I still have it!" Shinobu exclaimed frantically. "I was supposed to give it to someone else! Like Lum…or…I don't know!" She whimpered, staring at the heavy burden that she now carried.

"Don't panic, Miss Shinobu," Shutaro told her. "You're my Guardian of the Prince."

"Yeah, but…I don't want to…" Shinobu trailed off and squinted her eyes with worry. "Say if I accidentally destroy your soul, Prince Shutaro?"

Shutaro frowned, but said as calmly as he could, "Well, we haven't even found my body yet, Miss Shinobu; we can worry about the whole sword-stabbing thing later."

Shinobu nodded. "That's right," she agreed, swallowing hard. "You still never decided who you wanted to use the Tenseiga, though."

"I…I guess I still don't know," Shutaro answered honestly. "I suppose Miss Lum is a good choice; I can't think of anyone else."

Shinobu clutched the sword close to her and averted her regretful gaze from him. "Yes, someone like Lum should do it," she agreed quietly, her eyes stinging with an unexpected sadness.

Shutaro frowned, noticing the sudden dejection in her demeanor and asked, "Miss Shinobu?"

Shinobu forced a laugh that rang with the same sadness in her eyes. But she gave him a smile as she looked up to him and said, "Come on, Prince Shutaro! We have to find you're body!" She then started to run toward the castle.

Shutaro frowned in puzzlement, but then followed after her.

* * *

Ataru looked around the palace halls with an expression of amazed horror in his eyes. The walls were blackened and dark, there was debris on the ground, the artwork on the walls had fallen or was ripped or burnt, and the many antiques were broken, shattered to rubble on the cracked marble floor and stained carpet, once a bright scarlet and now a dull dark mix of black and brick red. "I can't believe this is the same place…" he faded off, lost in his own memories of the palace.

Lum's eyes stung with the same sadness as she recalled her own warm memories of the palace and processed the images she saw now of it - the ruined state that she had left it in. She placed her hand on one of the walls and then rested her forehead against the cold, blackened and cracked stone. "I should have never done what I did. I destroyed our home. This place was our home."

"Don't say that, Lum!" Ataru exclaimed, breaking out of his own depression to comfort her. "It wasn't your fault! You had to do it!"

A few shining tears fell down from her beautiful, glistening eyes. "I know, Darling…but I wish I could have found another way. Shutaro must be heartbroken to see this place the way it is now."

"Ah, Mendou will get over it," Ataru insisted with a wave of his hand. "And really, it isn't even that bad. The place is still standing, isn't it?" Lum tried to smile as more tears streamed down her cheeks when Ataru suddenly exclaimed, "Hey, look, Lum!" He then ran a few yards before stopping in front of one of the doors. He turned back and gave her a grin. "It's Soichiro's library!" As Lum flew over to him, he opened the door.

They slowly went inside, the sadness returning to their gazes as they saw the books scattered all over the room and the tables broken while one book shelf had fell over completely, leaning diagonally up against the opposite wall and all its book piled up on the floor below it. Lum flew and picked up one of the books off the floor. She dusted off the ash and soot. "Soichiro…" she whispered, running her fingers across the cover and beginning to cry. She hugged the book tightly to her and closed her eyes as her crystal tears fell down onto it.

Ataru, meanwhile, leaned against the wall beside the doorway and slid down to the floor, starting to cry himself. He placed his hand on one of the books that lay next to him, sniffling and trying to keep his tears from falling from his eyes. "Why do bad things have to happen, Lum?" he asked, wiping his arm with his sleeves. Growing angry, he continued, "It isn't fair! We don't even get to keep his stupid library!"

"I don't know, Darling," Lum answered sincerely. "If only I had found a way to save him…somehow…"

"I'm going to get that Yuichi and his stupid Reverse Goddess - for what they did to Soichiro!" Ataru said, angry tears falling down his cheeks. "Why did they have to hurt him for, anyway? He never did anything to anyone before!"

Lum wiped her eyes with her hands and said quietly, "Yes, Darling." She then embraced the book again, holding onto it with all her heart as both her and Ataru spoke no more and began to cry for their old late friend Soichiro.

* * *

Yusaku cautiously lingered behind Miroku, staring up at the blackened walls with worry and awe. After his initial shock at the massive amount of destruction passed, Yusaku shivered and looked down at his feet. He wrapped his arms around his shoulders and said, "I feel like this place is ready to collapse on me."

"It's been standing for a hundred years," Miroku answered nonchalantly.

"Yeah, but…" Yusaku went to argue, but just frowned, glaring back down at his feet again. "So where do you think Prince Shutaro's body is?"

Miroku turned back and gave him a smile. "If I knew that, we wouldn't be aimlessly wandering."

Yusaku blushed slightly. "Oh, right…sorry…" he mumbled, beginning to drag his feet. "Do you think a lot of people died here?" he then asked after a moment.

"Probably," Miroku replied casually.

"That's depressing," Yusaku answered, shuddering once more as he added, "And kind of morbid…" Shaking his head in frustration, Yusaku thought to himself, "Jeez Yusaku, could you be any more pathetic or miserable?!"

Then, noticing how far ahead Miroku had gotten, Yusaku let out a panicked yelp and hastily ran forward to catch up with him, accidentally hitting into him in the process. Yusaku blushed as he staggered back a bit and mumbled, "Sorry."

"It's all right," Miroku said with a bit of a frown, rubbing his shoulder. The two then started walking again.

A few moments of silence passed and Yusaku frowned, growing more and more uncomfortable with the lack of conversation. Becoming desperate to hear the sound of a human voice and a curiosity nagging at the back of his mind, Yusaku finally came up the courage to ask, "So…are you and Sango…um…going out?"

Miroku stopped in surprise and turned to him. As soon as he saw the surprise on Miroku's face, Yusaku's face flushed and he hastily and clumsily retracted his question, saying, "I mean, not that it's any of my business! Because it's not! I was just wondering, that's all! But forget I asked! I shouldn't have asked! I'm sorry!" He ended with a bow of his head.

Miroku grimaced slightly at this pathetic display, but reluctantly said, "It's all right, Godai…"

"I mean, it's just that you two seem kind of close, you know…"

"I'm afraid it's a complicated question with a complicated answer," Miroku answered with a frown.

"Well, I think you guys look really good together," Yusaku added, trying to smile, but it came off more like an awkward frown. He rubbed the back of his neck and said, "Not that my opinion really matters…"

Miroku smiled and then asked, "Well, what about you and Kyoko?"

Yusaku's cheeks turned a bright red as he waved his hands in front of him, insisting, "No, me and Kyoko - we're not - I mean, we're just good friends, really! She's…she's in love with Soichiro."

"Ah, yes, that's right," Miroku recalled, rubbing his chin pensively. "Widows are another matter all together."

Yusaku glanced away, disappointment filling his eyes. "I already told you…Kyoko and I are just friends; she's got Soichiro. But…as long as I'm with her, I'll be happy."

"Hmm?" Miroku glanced over to see the serious, solemn expression on Yusaku's face. "I see," he replied quietly. "No wonder why you've stuck it out here for so long; it couldn't have been just a mere infatuation, after all."

"I…" Yusaku went to speak, but couldn't think of anything to say and instead glared back down at his feet in his own regret and self-loathing. As the two began walking again, Yusaku then asked, "Hey, Miroku…if you knew something bad about Sango's father or brother…do you think you'd tell her?"

"Huh?" Miroku looked back at Yusaku in bewilderment. "Something bad?"

"I mean, you wouldn't want to ruin her memories of them, right?" he clarified. "If you found out that one of them might not have been as great as she really thought they were, would you tell her or would you just forget about it?"

"I don't know," Miroku answered truthfully. "I would like to think I would tell her the truth, but I think it would be more difficult than just saying I would. Why do you ask?"

"No reason," Yusaku mumbled, dropping his eyes to the ground as he shoved his hands in his pocket. It was then his foot stepped on one a pile of broken glass. He lifted his foot to see it was a shattered mirror and in the pieces was the reflection of a woman, staring up at him with dark, cold eyes. Yusaku let out a startled cry and jumped back.

"What's wrong?" Miroku questioned, spinning around.

Yusaku pointed downward with a quivering finger. "There…there was a woman! In the mirror!"

Miroku's eyes widened and he hastily stared down at the broken pieces of the mirror. But when he looked, there was no reflection of a woman to be found.

* * *

Kyoko trailed along, her fingers running against the stone as she stared mournfully at the ruins of the Mendou Palace. Sango lead the way along with Kirara, cautiously looking around and on the alert, prepared to defend herself and Kyoko from any demon that could show up.

"Is this a hall you used to walk through, Soichiro?" Kyoko thought, eyes glistening as they held onto her tears instead of letting them fall down her cheeks. Her eyes narrowed with her sorrow. "I wish I could have seen it before…how it was when you came here with Ataru and Lum and taught Prince Shutaro. But I'm glad you didn't have to see it this way; I'm sure you would have been so sad to see it so broken and ruined."

She turned her eyes from the wall and then looked over to Sango. "Do you think Godai and the others will be all right?" she asked, pulling her hand away from the wall and placing it over her heart.

"I hope so," Sango answered, opening a door and sighing when it revealed nothing. "Jeez, we're never going to find it at this rate!" she exclaimed, slapping her forehead in frustration.

"I'm sorry, Sango," Kyoko apologized, clasping her hands in front of her with a small bow of her head.

"It's not your fault," Sango answered as she started walking again. "It's just if this place wasn't so _huge…_"

Kyoko frowned, but didn't say anything, placing her hand against the wall again and gently stroking her fingers against it as she started to follow Sango. She stopped, however, when her finger tips touched something other than stone. She blinked and stopped, turning to the wall to see a portrait hanging. It was crooked and the once luminous gold frame was dull and rusting and black. The parchment the portrait was painted on was slashed, the frayed pieces hanging down and hiding the picture. Kyoko cocked her head to the side as she eyed the portrait quizzically, curiously imagining who had been drawn. She slowly lifted her hand up to it, raising the flap of parchment in the middle of the painting upward to reveal the face of a young boy with black hair and dark eyes and with a white collar.

Sango, meanwhile, stopped, suddenly realizing Kyoko was no longer following her. Seeing that Kyoko had stopped, Sango walked back to her and inquired, "What is it, Kyoko?"

"I was just looking…" she trailed off as her eyes attentively and inquisitively stared at the portrait.

Sango looked at the picture and said, "Oh; that's a portrait of the Great Prince Shutaro."

Kyoko nodded, and raised her other hand up to the picture and pressed it against it. "I never realized…how young he was."

* * *

"My beautiful palace," Shutaro sobbed as he hung slumped in the air, floating alongside a frowning Shinobu. "It's all ruined."

"Just remember - you're going to rebuild, right?" Shinobu told him in her best attempt to cheer him up.

"How is anyone supposed to be able to rebuild this?" he asked hopelessly, gesturing out to the ruins as a few pieces of stones and dust fell from the ceiling and onto the floor that was covered in broken antiques and other debris.

"Well…I guess you could try and relocate," Shinobu offered, but found herself frowning. "Start fresh."

"I suppose that's true, Miss Shinobu," Shutaro said, calming down a bit although a vain despair still lingered in his eyes as he looked at the ruins. "At least, with Miss Lum's help I should be able to make the Mendou Dynasty magnificent again despite this hundred year hiatus."

"That's right! With Lum's help!" Shinobu agreed eagerly, but then frowned as she realized what she was saying. She looked down at the Tenseiga that she held in her hand. "Prince Shutaro…may I ask you something?"

"Of course, Miss Shinobu," Shutaro said with a charming smile. "You can ask me whatever you like."

Shinobu glanced up to see his sparkling smile shining down on her and then looked back down at the Tenseiga with a frown. Blushing, she hesitantly asked, "Was it true…that you really were in love with Lum?"

Shutaro's cheeks turned red by the surprising question. "I…well - "

"Because that's what everyone says," she interrupted, looking up to him now. "Even Ataru says you were. But Lum is in love with Ataru, so…well…I mean, did you ever think of just forgetting about her?"

"I - "

"I'm sorry," she interrupted a second time, tightening her grip on the Tenseiga. "I shouldn't have asked you such a rude question, Prince Shutaro."

"No, Miss Shinobu, it's all right," Shutaro said quickly, afraid she might cut him off again. He then stared downward at the floor. "As for Miss Lum…I know she's in love with Moroboshi, but I don't think I could ever truly forget about her entirely."

"Why not? Is it…because you love her?" Shinobu asked hesitantly.

"Because she and Moroboshi are all I have left of my old life," Shutaro corrected with a solemn gaze cast down the blackened corridor. "What else is there anymore?"

Shinobu squinted her eyes, a sudden jab of guilt hitting her. She reached a hand out to him, saying, "Prince Shutaro, I - " However, she stopped short when she noticed a glow coming from under her sleeve. "Prince, Shutaro - the mark of the Guardian of the Prince!" she exclaimed, rolling up her sleeve to show him.

His gaze quickly darted back to her to see the same glowing kanji she did. "Miss Shinobu - "

"This way!" she interrupted as if a revelation miraculously sparked within her and began running. "I can feel it…I just know!" she thought anxiously as she ran, Shutaro following after her.

They only had to run a few moments when Shinobu suddenly jolted to a stop, turning to her left to face a new corridor. Shutaro's eyes widened as he felt a feeling of fear plunge into his chest and squeeze his heart tightly. On the wall and floor were old, dark blood stains. Shinobu warily stepped forward as she gazed at the stains with frightened eyes. Shutaro, meanwhile, clasped his hands over his throat. "This…this is the place…" he trailed off, the memories flashing in his mind - the embrace, Amane, and his reflection in the sword.

Shinobu looked at him with a gasp, realizing what he was trying to say. She then looked back down at the dark, faded blood stain and touched her hand against it with narrowed, grave eyes. Then, with the corner of her eye, she saw a light. She looked down the corridor to see a glow from coming under a grand doorway at the end of the hall.

"That's…my throne room. The place I first met Miss Lum and Moroboshi," Shutaro answered, hands shaking and eyes unblinking. He swallowed hard, trying to push down the fear and sorrow that was choking him.

Shinobu felt her own fear building up inside her and she looked down at the brightly shining mark of the Guardian of the Prince on her arm, trying to find some strength or confidence or courage in it. When she found none, she raised her head again and stared at the extravagant doors before her, knowing what she had to do. She held firmly to the Tenseiga and inhaled deeply before starting to walk forward, Shutaro placing his feet on the ground and walking behind her. When she reached the massive doors, she stopped and looked to Shutaro who stood beside her. He nodded nervously and then, with Shutaro's approval, Shinobu placed her free hand on the door and pushed it open with all the strength she had within her.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen: Rebirth of the Great Prince Shutaro!

A black crow sat on one of the high buttresses of the enormous and extravagant throne room of the Mendou Palace. The room had been cleaned up quite a bit; although the stone walls remained blackened and cracked while the enormous windows were shattered and the rug and marble floor had been stained and tattered and burnt, there was no sign of debris on the floor or glass on the windowpanes. And, although the gold of the chandeliers had rusted and the diamonds had lost their luster, they were all lit as were the dulled standing candlesticks holders that lined the rug that lead up to the throne as well as the walls. And, before the throne, was an open casket surrounded by brightly lit candles. It was made of clean, polished mahogany wood and lined inside with red velvet. Inside the casket laid the peaceful body of Prince Shutaro - and over him leaned Amane with a cruel smirk.

"I knew you'd come eventually," he said when he saw both Shinobu and Shutaro standing in front of the large doors to the throne room. He looked over at Shinobu with a sinister glare. "He is beautiful, isn't he?" he asked her, lifting up a long piece of Shutaro's black hair. He then looked over at Shutaro and said, "You are beautiful, Prince Shutaro - but you already know _that_, don't you?"

"Stay away from my body, you - you creep!" Shutaro shouted irately, clenching his hands into fists.

Amane, however, ignored him and continued, "I'm so glad the Eternal Goddess thought to save your body from decay. And, I must admit, I much prefer you _this _way. You look so peaceful like this."

"Give us back Prince Shutaro's body!" Shinobu demanded, growing angry as well.

Amane snarled and glared at her. "You," he muttered resentfully, Shutaro's hair dropping from his fingers. "I nearly forgot that _you_ were here." He scoffed and stood up at straight a sword suddenly appearing in his hands. "I'm afraid I can't do that, little girl. I'm rather content with him staying right here, actually."

"My name is Shinobu Miyake," Shinobu said, coldly narrowing her eyes. "And Prince Shutaro wants his body back. It belongs to him."

"Dead princes don't own anything," Amane corrected flatly. "Including their corpses."

"Prince Shutaro isn't dead!" Shinobu exclaimed, raising the Tenseiga. "And I'm going to bring him back!"

Amane eyed the Tenseiga, the light of the candles reflecting off of the shining blade. He stepped in front of Shutaro's body with fury flaring in his countenance. "You do realize that they'll just kill him again, anyway. Do you really want to die a second time, Prince Shutaro, when you can remain a spirit unharmed?"

A fleeting moment of fear flashed in Shutaro's eyes as he placed his hand over his scar. But he soon glowered and answered firmly, "I'll take my chances."

Amane's eyes narrowed and then he angrily held up his hand, sending a pulse of energy blasting toward Shinobu. Shinobu gasped and hastily jumped out of the way, falling to the floor as it hit the doors and blasted them off their hinges and smashed them into the hallway. Shinobu let out an "eek!" of panic while Shutaro cringed. Then, she gasped again as another blast of energy went flying straight toward her. She quickly jumped up, the blast hitting the ground and leaving a small crater while Shinobu hastily ran toward the side. He sent a third one toward her and now she held her hands up to block it. It hit her hard and she felt her feet dig into the marble as it tried to throw her back. She gritted her teeth and bared it as best she could, closing her eyes tightly and letting out a whimper.

When the blast stopped, she stumbled forward a bit and then looked up to see Amane suddenly above her, descending on her with a sword drawn and ready to split her in half. Shinobu quickly grabbed onto one of the long candlestick holders and swung it up to block the sword, dropping the Tenseiga on the ground to hold it with both hands. As soon as Amane saw this, he bore down hard on his sword and kicked the Tenseiga to the side.

"No!" Shinobu gasped, seeing it slide across the floor when Amane smacked her hard in the face. She fell to the ground with a groan as Amane started toward the Tenseiga.

"Miss Shinobu!" Shutaro cried, but Shinobu was already getting up and running after Amane. Amane, in the meantime, was lifting his sword over the Tenseiga, his sword glowing with dark energy as it went to plunge it downward and destroy the Tenseiga once and for all. However, just as he did, Shinobu slid between them, lying on top of the Tenseiga and holding the candlestick holder across her as her only line of defense from Amane's powerful sword. The sword crashed against the gold stick, shrieking as the metals clashed and the energy sparks flew. Knowing she had only mere seconds before the candlestick holder broke under the enormous power, Shinobu hastily kicked him hard in the stomach. He stumbled back a bit, his sword lifting from the candlestick holder. Shinobu then pointed the butt of the holder at Amane's face and drove it forward, smashing it as hard as she could into it. He stumbled back farther, giving Shinobu enough time to jump up, grabbing onto the Tenseiga with one hand and holding her the long candlestick holder with the other.

Amane spit out a bit of blood and then, gripping onto his sword with both hands furiously charged at her. Shinobu, now having only one free hand as she cautiously held onto the Tenseiga, ducked the sword and then swung the flames at the top end at his face, burning his cheek. He let out an abrupt scream as he jumped back. Shinobu then charged him with the holder as it if were a spear, but now Amane quickly darted to the side, grabbing hold of the stick and wrenching it from her. Shinobu fell forward and hard onto the marble floor, but made sure to keep her fingers firmly locked around the Tenseiga's handle. Amane, in the meantime, tossed the candlestick holder to the side, the flame distinguishing, and aimed his sword at her vulnerable back.

"Miss Shinobu, watch out!" Shutaro called out to her and Shinobu hastily looked behind her to see Amane's sword coming straight for her. She spun off her knees and laid on her back, blocking Amane's wrist with both hands as the sharp blade of his sword rested inches away from her face.

Amane glared viciously at Shutaro. "You little cheat," he snapped before pushing harder down on the sword. But Shinobu dug her fingers tightly into his flesh and kept pushing upward. Growing infuriated, he used his free hand to grab onto one of her hands and yank it toward him. As he pulled her up, she quickly jolted his arm with the sword to the side of her so it wouldn't cut into her face and then struggled to hold it back as he continued to push it toward her. She then gave him another kick to the stomach, causing him to falter a bit. With this small opportunity, she turned her head toward his wrist, closed her eyes tightly, and bit down on it as hard as she could.

Amane let out a scream of pain as she did this, dropping his sword as Shinobu dug her teeth in deeper. "Why you little…" he muttered, enraged, stomping his foot down hard into her stomach. Shinobu released his wrist then, letting out a groan and wrapping her free hand over her stomach while Amane quickly pulled his bleeding arm to him with another abrupt scream of pain. Then, both their eyes fell back onto Amane's sword. Shinobu went to grab it first, but Amane grabbed hold of her wrist, pinning it down to the floor with his hand. As he went to reach for the sword with his other hand, Shinobu punched him hard in the face with her free hand. He fell backwards to the ground as Shinobu sat up, grabbed hold of the Tenseiga with her left hand and went to grab Amane's sword once more.

But Amane had already gotten up and tackled her, slamming her head against the marble and clutching his fingers into her throat and squeezing tightly. Shinobu closed her eyes tightly as she felt her neck begin to bruise and it difficult to breath. She held fast to the Tenseiga with her left hand, but reached up and pressed her right hand against Amane's left shoulder, trying to push him off.

Amane chuckled cruelly, his eyes burning with a murderous, wrathful envy. "You are no Guardian of the Prince, little girl. You are just a pale reflection of the part - unworthy to even speak Prince Shutaro's name, let alone defend him!"

"Miss Shinobu!" Shutaro exclaimed frantically as he helplessly watched her struggle. He then lifted his eyes to Amane with a furious glare. "Stop this at once! You can keep my body! I don't care! Just don't harm Miss Shinobu anymore!"

However, this seemed to infuriate Amane even more. "You're willing to give your body up for this pathetic girl?!" he questioned in rage, pressing harder down on her neck.

"She may be some pathetic girl, but at least she isn't a traitor!" Shutaro snapped back.

Amane gasped, a terror flashing in his eyes. "How do you know about that?"  
Now that Amane was taken off guard, Shinobu quickly used her opportunity and lifted her hand from his right shoulder to his long, pink hair, wrapping her fingers around it and painfully jerking his head toward the ground. His head slammed against the marble, releasing Shinobu's throat. Shinobu turned on her side, coughing and gasping for air while pulling the Tenseiga close to her.

Meanwhile, Amane picked himself off the cold stone and grabbed onto his sword, even more enraged than before. Shinobu sat up and turned her head to see Amane holding the sword and readying it to swing it at her neck and behead her. With a voice shaking with fury, he repeated, "You are no Guardian of the Prince." He then swung it at her with all her might.

The mark on Shinobu's wrist glowed brightly and Shinobu narrowed her eyes, proclaiming, "Yes, I am!" With this, she clenched her hand into a fist as she raised it and smashed it into the sword just as it was to hit her neck. The blade cut her knuckles before her hand slammed right through it, snapping the thick metal in two. The tip went flying across the room, skidding against the marble with the screech while Amane stumbled back in shock as he held onto the other broken half.

"How…my sword…" Amane stammered, staring at the broken sword.

"Ha ha!" Shutaro laughed haughtily. "That's what you get for messing with the Great Prince Shutaro and his Guardian of the Prince!"

Amane sneered, eyes burning with an insane rage as Shutaro said this, and then went to lunge the jagged half of the sword down on Shinobu. But Shinobu's arm glowed even brighter still and she dodged it while punching him hard in the face. Amane went flying back and crashing into the stone wall on the other side of the room, pieces of rock breaking off as he hit. He then slumped down to the ground with a groan.

Shinobu smiled happily and turned to Shutaro excitedly. "I did it!"

"Miss Shinobu! My body!" Shutaro reminded her.

"Oh, right!" Shinobu said, holding up the Tenseiga a bit and hurriedly running to his body while Amane started to rise, groaning still. Kneeling before it, she looked up at Shutaro, who now floated on the other side of it. "What should I do?"

"Stab me!" he told her.

"Wait, what?!" Shinobu exclaimed in a panic. "I can't do that!"

"You have to!" Shutaro insisted.

"But I thought you wanted Lum to do it!" Shinobu cried. "I'll just carry your body out - "

Shutaro, however, shook his head urgently. "There isn't any time!"

Shinobu gasped and looked behind her to see Amane rising. "Oh, no!" She then looked desperately back at Shutaro. "But I can't! What if I - "

"Miss Shinobu, you have to! Before it's too late!" Shutaro exclaimed frantically.

She took another hasty glimpse behind her to see Amane had already gotten to his feet. She let out a whimper and cringed, looking back to Shutaro's body. Her eyes filled with terror as she started to cry. But she clutched onto the Tenseiga with both hands and lifted it over his body. She then close her eyes tightly and plunged it downward.

"You'll destroy him!" Amane's voice screamed out to her and Shinobu immediately jolted the sword to a stop, only an inch away from Shutaro's chest. Her body and the Tenseiga shook with her fear and desperation as her eyes shot open again, wide and unblinking and filled with tears as they looked down at Shutaro's peacefully sleeping body.

"Prince Shutaro… I can't…"

Shutaro, although visibly frightened himself, told her, "Yes, you can, Miss Shinobu! You're my Guardian of the Prince! And I believe in you!"

With this, both Shutaro and Shinobu shut their eyes and Shinobu slammed the sword into his chest.

A burst of light poured out of the Tenseiga and Shutaro's body and Shinobu opened her eyes and released the sword, backing away in both awe and fright. Shutaro, too, opened his eyes to see the light from the Tenseiga. Then, he looked down at his hands as they slowly began to disintegrate into gold dust. He gasped, eyes widening in terror.

"No!" Shinobu cried and as soon as she did, Shutaro disappeared from sight, vanishing in a swirl of gold dust. The light from the Tenseiga immediately vanished as well and fell from Shutaro's body, tumbling out of the casket and onto the marble floor. Shinobu breathed harshly as a dull silence fell and Shutaro's body remained unmoving. Shinobu's eyes widened as a couple moments passed, each one feeling like an eternity, and nothing happened. Then, she sniffled a bit, her eyes welling up with large tears. She swallowed hard. "Prince…Prince Shutaro?" When he didn't answer, she let out a painful sob that echoed throughout the throne room, feeling as though something inside her had broken. She shook her head before collapsing onto Shutaro's body, clinging onto his clothes tightly with her fingers as she started weeping. "Prince Shutaro…please, Prince Shutaro…" She then closed her eyes tightly, burying her head into his stomach while she sobbed, her tears began to soak his clothes.

Unexpectedly, she felt a hand gently fall onto her head. She gasped and lifted herself up. Turning her head, she saw Shutaro smiling warmly at her, his eyes half-open and sweetly gazing up at her. "Please, don't cry on account of me, Miss Shinobu. I never could stand seeing a girl cry."

Shinobu laughed, wiping her eyes as more tears fell down her flushed cheeks. As Shutaro went to get up, she swung her arms around him, crying, "Prince Shutaro!" Shutaro fell back a little, face turning a slight shade of pink. But he then smiled again and hugged her back.

Amane eyes flared with envy as he watched them embrace. Scowling and letting out a low growl, he ran toward them and raised both hands, a large ball of dark energy forming in it and then went to hurl it at the two.

Shutaro, luckily, noticed this as he held the weeping Shinobu and shouted, "Watch out!" He then pushed her forward, the two toppling out of the coffin and falling to the ground, Shutaro landing on top of her. Shutaro then rose, his long black hair swaying as it extended down to his ankles, and drew his own sword. He scowled indignantly, vengeance flashing in his eyes. "You will pay for what you did to me - and the harm you've caused Miss Shinobu."

"Prince Shutaro…" Shinobu trailed off as she sat on the ground beside his feet and reached a hesitant hand up toward him.

"How very noble of you, Prince Shutaro," Amane sneered. He raised his hands again, another black of dark energy beginning to form while Shutaro charged for him with his sword. It was then Amane finally noticed the black crow flying down behind Shutaro. He gasped, "No…Saori!"

Shutaro widened his eyes and stopped his charge. "What?" he asked just as the crow transformed into Saori, throwing a series of glowing daggers directly toward Shutaro's back. Shutaro gasped as he slowly turned around. However, before he fully could, Amane grabbed hold of Shutaro's wrist and yanked him back. He then swung in front of him and embraced Shutaro as if he were his shoulder, the three daggers hitting Amane's back. Amane fell forward onto Shutaro with a grunt of pain as Shutaro fell backwards and tumbled onto the ground. As Amane winced in pain, blood trickling down his lip, Shutaro blinked in surprise. "You…you saved me."

"I told you that you were safer dead," Amane snapped with a growl before getting up to face Saori.

Saori, meanwhile, scowled at Amane as she landed on the floor. "You traitor! How dare you betray Prince Yuichi and the Eternal Goddess Yuriko for this imposter!" she screamed, her hand shooting up and sending a pulse of energy at him. Amane held his hands up to block it and then the two flew up, hurling attacks at each other as a battle ensued.

It was then that there was a loud rumbling from the hall. The battle stopped as Amane, Saori, Shutaro, and Shinobu all looked to the doorway to see the two massive doors being lifted by a surge of electricity and then go flying into both Saori and Amane and crushing them into the back wall of the throne room.

Lum then emerged from the hall and into the throne room, flying and surrounded with electricity. Her eyes were glowing white, her countenance was fierce, and her hair rose all around her, twisted with sparks as electricity spiraled around her hands and toward the floor and ceiling. As Amane and Saori got up from the last blow, Ataru appeared behind Lum with a smug smirk. "Guess what? Lum's back to full power, jerks!" he exclaimed with a sharp snicker before sticking his tongue out at them.

Lum then pulled her hands together above her before dropping them in front of her and shooting off a huge electrical blast toward both Amane and Saori. Saori hastily turned into a black crow, fleeing out the window while Amane scowled furiously, another glint of wrathful envy flickering in his eyes, before disappearing in a swirl of light just as the attack hit the wall they were against, smashing right through it.

As soon as both had gone, Lum's powers dispersed and she touched her feet to the floor. She then grinned as she saw Shutaro still sitting on the floor. "Shutaro!" she exclaimed, flying over to him before dropping to the ground again to hug him and he hugged her back.

Ataru laughed and walked over to Shutaro, cracked, "It's about time you finally decided to get up, Mendou."

Shutaro scowled a bit as he looked up at him and said, "It's good to see you, too, Moroboshi," but then gave him a smile.

* * *

"It's not true!"

"Yes, Yuichi - you cannot change fate."

Yuichi shook his head. "No! I refuse to believe it!"

"It concerns me not if you believe; what is will be."

Yuichi slammed his fist hard into the mirror, smashing it into pieces. He panted, face filled with furious desperation and wrathful envy as the pieces fell to the ground of one of the destroyed corridors of the Mendou Palace. "I'll show her," he muttered in a low, maniacal whisper. "It's not true; I won't allow it to be true. First that idiot Soichiro and now that pathetic wimp Godai - but it doesn't matter. I am the Reverse Prince and I won't let anyone stand in my way."

"Prince Yuichi."Yuichi stood up with a snarl to see Saori had arrived. Her eyes filled with worry as she reached out a hesitant hand toward him. "Prince Yuichi - what's wrong?"

Yuichi slapped her hand to the side. "Nothing is wrong!" he yelled at her and Saori quickly fell to her knees.

"I'm sorry, my lord; please forgive me," she begged.

Yuichi scoffed and replied, "We're going back."

Saori gasped and looked up at him. "But, your majesty, Lum is back to full power. We can't possibly - "

"I don't care," he snapped. "You are my Guardian of the Prince and you will obey me."

"Yes, Prince Yuichi, sir," she humbly replied, lowering her eyes again.

"Besides, Yuriko's powers are stronger in this place and therefore our strength has increased as well," he told her. "It is our time to fight." He then tightened his hand into a fist and declared, "I've already killed Soichiro Otonoshi and now Yusaku Godai will die."


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen: The Reverse Prince

Inuyasha sat on one of the tree branches as the night hung over him, the sky filled with countless stars shining brightly. He gazed down and into the open window of the second story house to see a young girl in her bedroom, folding clothes and putting them in her dresser drawers. She hummed pleasantly to herself as she worked and smiled. Inuyasha watched with wide, curious eyes, his cheeks turning a slight shade of pink as he stared at her with an odd fascination. "She…she looks just like Kikyo…" he thought to himself.

"There!" Kagome Higurashi exclaimed with a smile as he closed the last drawer. She then stretched her hands out and went over to her desk. Turning on her desk lamp, she took a seat with a sigh and opened one of her books and pulled out a pen to do her homework. "Now let's see…"

She soon frowned glumly, however, resting her elbow on the desk and slumping her chin in the palm of her hand. She tapped her pen on the page, saying, "I wonder where Shinobu is…I haven't heard from her all day. Maybe she's sick…but she would have called, wouldn't she have?" Kagome sighed again, frowning further. "If she's not in school tomorrow…then what? Say if something really bad has happened to her?"

She leaned back in her seat and stared up at the ceiling. "I wonder if Mr. Godai ever found his friend…it's funny how he disappeared like that this afternoon, though…" She then laughed and said, "He probably just got embarrassed hanging out with one of his students and ran away; he's always wishy-washy like that!" She frowned again, however. "But what will happen if he isn't in school tomorrow, either?" she thought worriedly. "Could something bad have happened to him, too?"

She then heard a thud come from the window. She sat up straight and turned to the window to see a man in red and with long black hair standing in the windowpane, hand stretched out to her. "Come with me!" he exclaimed, his eyes fixed on her with urgency.

Kagome blinked a few times in surprise, recognizing the familiar face. "You're…you're the boy…I dreamt you."

The boy's face turned a light shade of red, but he shook his head and reached his out further to her. "There isn't any time for that! Rumi and Lum are in danger!"

Kagome now stood up, pushing her chair back and clutched her hands over her chest with worry. "Danger?" she questioned worriedly. "What kind of danger?"

"I'll explain on the way, but we have to go through the well!" he insisted. "Now get your bow and arrows and let's get going!"

"The well?" Kagome asked, still confused, and looking down warily at the hand reached out to her. "But…who are you?" She then looked over at her archery equipment that rested against her desk in a long sack. "And how do you know that I - "

"My name is Inuyasha," he interrupted her quickly. "I'm a friend."

"Inuyasha…?" she asked, turning her quizzical gaze back to him. She bit her lip, hesitantly pulling one of her hands away from her chest and slowly moving it toward Inuyasha's hand.

"Shinobu and Godai sent me!" he then exclaimed and Kagome's eyes widened with a gasp. Without anymore hesitation or questions, she quickly grabbed her bow and arrows with one hand and than grasped onto Inuyasha's hand with the other. He pulled her close to him as she swung the sack over her shoulder. He then wrapped one arm around her to keep her from falling as he jumped down from the window, Kagome's face turning pink while she let out a startled cry of surprise and fright. He landed on the ground on his feet, however, and then ran rapidly toward the well, Kagome fearfully clinging onto him as he raced along, before he jumped high up into the air and the two went falling down into the well.

* * *

"Wow, Prince Shutaro! It really is an honor!" Sango exclaimed, clasping her hands together as she looked over to him with wide, excited eyes. The group had congregated in the throne room as it was the only room in the Mendou Palace that they knew of that was in decent condition and now sat in a circle, trying to decide on their next course of action.

"Yes, yes, I _know_," Shutaro dismissed her smugly with a wave of his hand. "I am the Great Prince Shutaro, after all - handsome, magnificent, spectacular! Why, just a mere glance of me will allow you to die with both honor and glory. You should all be grateful for this amazing opportunity that I have bestowed upon you."

Sango frowned a bit at this answer while Ataru remarked snidely, "Wasn't there a way we could have brought him back to life without actually having to hear him talk all the time?"

Shutaro shot him an icy look of daggers. Reaching for his sword, he heatedly questioned, "What was that, Moroboshi?"

"He certainly isn't what I expected," Miroku commented with a frown.

"And what is that supposed to mean?!" Shutaro exclaimed, shifting his angry glare from Ataru to Miroku.

"Nothing, of course, Prince Shutaro," Miroku fibbed, feigning innocence with a smile. "Just idle observation, really…"

Meanwhile, Yusaku asked hopefully, "So, now that Prince Shutaro's woken up, we've won, right? Like we can go home…maybe…?"

"Well, Yuichi and Saori still have yet to be defeated," Miroku reminded him and Yusaku grimaced miserably.

"But Lum can kick everyone's butt now that she doesn't have to take care of stupid Mendou anymore!" Ataru chimed in eagerly with a punching gesture and Lum smiled a little uneasily. "So why worry?"

"We do have that advantage, I suppose," Miroku agreed. "Although there is still the Reverse Goddess."

"I think I saw her - in one of the broken mirrors," Yusaku replied and then shuddered. "She didn't look too nice…"

"That means the barrier between Rumi and the Reverse World is still open, right, Miss Lum?" Shutaro asked, looking to Lum for the answer.

"Yes, but it's still not a big enough hole for a powerful demon like the Reverse Goddess to go through," Lum told them. "Besides, as soon as Inuyasha comes back with my new high priestess, we should be able to seal it off again."

"But for how long?" Shutaro continued to question. "After Kikyo, it still broke open again."

"Some energy must be cracking the barrier," Miroku said, shifting his eyes toward Ataru.

"I told you, I'm not doing it!" Ataru exclaimed defensively.

Shutaro, however, crossed his arms and closed his eyes. "I wouldn't put it past him, though, seeing as a woman is involved."

Ataru scowled furiously, but Lum spoke up and replied, "Well, if Darling is doing it, we'll just keep him away from the Mendou Palace, that's all. After all, there isn't much left of it…" She trailed off into a frown, casting her eyes down to her knees.

"And what about Amane?" Shinobu spoke up, changing the subject. "Are we going to try and fight him, too? I mean, he doesn't seem to be on the Reverse Goddess's side anymore. At least, he tried to save Prince Shutaro." She then winced a bit and added gloomily, "Although, right before that, he tried to kill him…"

Shutaro frowned, looking down at his lap where some of his long locks of hair fell, the others resting and trailing on the floor behind him. He frowned further, running his hand down a thick strand of hair before letting it drop down. He let out a small sob and sulked, "What am I supposed to do about my hair?"

The others sighed in frustration and nearly fell over. "Shinobu's right; you really do have your priorities all out of whack," Yusaku then commented, but Shutaro ignored him, continuing to wallow in his own vain misery.

Shinobu, meanwhile, put a consoling hand on his shoulder and said, "I already told you that I thought it looked pretty, Prince Shutaro."

"But I can't _keep_ it this way," Shutaro insisted miserably with a whimper of self-pity. "It's so…_long_…"

"Well, maybe one of us can cut it for you," Shinobu suggested.

Ataru grinned deviously, yanking Sango's kantana out of its sheath, much to Sango's surprise and annoyance. "I'll cut if for you, Mendou!" he offered eagerly, snickering mischievously as he inched over to him, both his eyes and the sword glinting with the reflection of the flames of the candles in the room.

Shutaro let out a panicked yelp and crawled backwards, gathering up his long hair on his left side and holding onto it with both hands defensively and possessively. "Get back, Moroboshi!" he exclaimed as Ataru snickered further and grinned more deviously, inching closer. "You're not cutting anything!"

"I'll cut it for you," Kyoko said suddenly and both boys turned to her in surprise as she closed her eyes, cocked her head to the side, and gave them a warm smile.

* * *

Kyoko knelt behind Shutaro as he sat on the floor a little distance away from the others. She gently brushed through his long hair with a forlorn, bittersweet smile as Shutaro tried to look back at her without turning his head, a curious expression on his face. When he saw that it was futile, he looked down at his lap and said hesitantly, "Um…thank you Miss Kyoko…for cutting my hair."

"You shouldn't thank me yet; I might not do a good job," Kyoko replied good-naturedly.

Shutaro smiled and answered, "I'm sure you'll do fine. You really didn't have to, though."

Kyoko's eyes shined warmly. "Of course I did. It's my job to take care of you - for Soichiro. He was supposed to be your Guardian of the Prince and protect you, and since neither him nor I could fulfill that obligation, the least I could do is cut your hair for you." She then let out a light laugh and added, "Besides, you're the only one I haven't properly thanked yet for being such a good friend to Soichiro. So think of this haircut as a sign of my appreciation." And she laughed kindly again.

Shutaro frowned dejectedly now as he thought of Soichiro. "You shouldn't thank me, Miss Kyoko," he said quietly. "I should thank you, for making Soichiro so happy and taking care of him in his home world. And, of course, for helping out Moroboshi, Miss Lum, and myself so much. So…thank you, Miss Kyoko."

A few tears formed in her eyes, but Kyoko gracefully brushed them from her lashes with her finger. "You're welcome, Prince Shutaro," she replied sincerely. Then, she perked up a bit and joked, "Well, you certainly do have a lot of hair now, don't you?" She then picked up his sword that lay beside him and pressed it against his long, shining black hair from underneath. She grinned and then said, "Here goes nothing!" Then, she cut upward and the locks began to tumble down to the marble floor.

After a little while, Kyoko walked over the others and said, "I'm done!" They all turned as she stepped to the side to reveal Shutaro, his hair cut back to its usual short length and brushed back as he always had it.

They all grinned in amazement and clapped their hands together as Lum praised, "Wow! It looks great!"

"It looks just like how he used to have it," Ataru added.

"You did a great job, Kyoko!" Yusaku chimed in anxiously, eager to compliment her.

Kyoko smiled bashfully with a modest, "Thanks."

Meanwhile, Shutaro furrowed his brows in disappointment, looking upward in a futile attempt to see his own haircut. "I wish I could see it…" he mumbled.

"You should; it looks really nice, Prince Shutaro," Shinobu told him with a smile.

Yusaku then snapped his fingers. "Hey, I know!" he exclaimed, running over to the doorway.

"Where are you going, Godai?" Kyoko asked worriedly, but Yusaku just turned back to her with a confident grin.

"Don't worry, Kyoko!" he assured her. "I'll be back in a second; I just want Prince Shutaro to see the great haircut you gave him!" Kyoko frowned, blushing a bit, but Yusaku had already run out of the throne room and into the corridor.

Yusaku glanced around the dark and battered hallway, rubbing his chin in contemplation. "Now let's see…" Seeing a pile of rubble and debris not too far off, he grinned again and ran over to it, starting to rummage through it. He soon yanked out a dulled armor plate, stumbling back a little in the process. "This should work!" he declared, seeing a dull, blurry reflection in the gray metal. "It just needs to be shined up a bit, that's all." He rubbed his sleeve on the armor plate as he walked back over to the door of the throne room.

However, when he lifted his arm, he saw the same reflection of the woman he had seen before. He let out a startled and panicked gasp when he suddenly saw a sword coming at him with the corner of his eye. Yusaku let out a scream of fright before using the armor plate as a shield to block the sword. He then looked up to see a menacing Yuichi glaring down at him, with more anger than Yusaku had ever felt directed toward him before. Yuichi snarled at his pathetic line of defense and then lifted his sword up from the armor plate, raising it high to strike him again. Yusaku gasped and simply flung the armor plate at him, smacking Yuichi in the face and delaying his attack for a moment. This was enough time for Yusaku to flee for his life, nearly falling over as his legs desperately fought to keep up with the rest of his body.

"Help!" he shouted, running into the throne room when suddenly Saori appeared before him, blocking his path to the others. He let out another scream of terror, falling onto his backside as he stopped short to avoid colliding into her. He stared up at her, trembling in his fear, as the others gasped and hastily got up to prepare for battle.

"Godai!" Kyoko cried out just as Yuichi entered the throne room, trapping poor, defenseless, and terrified Yusaku.

"Distract them," Yuichi ordered Saori, "While I kill him."

Saori looked at him in complete surprise and confusion. "But, your majesty, what about Prince Shutaro?"

Yuichi snarled furiously. "Just do as I command!"

Without another moment of thought, Saori hastily transformed into a dragon, turning to the others with a fierce roar and fully blocking their path to Yusaku.

"But…why is Yuichi so intent on killing Godai for?" Miroku wondered.

Meanwhile, Kyoko watched as Yuichi raised his sword again. Her eyes widened and she screamed desperately out to him, "Run, Godai!"

The trembling Yusaku finally snapped back to his senses and jumped up just as Yuichi's sword crashed into the stone, sparks flying from it. He then began feebly running as Yuichi chased after him, swinging his sword with Yusaku barely missing his blows.

"Mr. Godai!" Shinobu cried out. "We have to do something!"

"I'm afraid we have ourselves to worry about now," Miroku told her just as Saori roared again, this time heaving flames at them. They all gasped and quickly scattered to jump out of the flames raging path.

"Kirara!" Sango then ordered and she mounted the two-tails, readying her boomerang for attack as she Kirara ascended into the air. She swung her boomerang toward the Black Dragon Saori, but just as it went to crash, it was blocked by an enormous shield of light that surrounded the entire dragon. "What?" Sango asked and then scowled, grabbing her boomerang and went to attack again.

Meanwhile, Ataru turned to Lum and said, "Come on, Lum!"

"Right, Darling!" she exclaimed, rising off the ground as electricity began flying from her and her eyes glowed white. As the electricity swirled around her, she drew her hands up toward the ceiling, the lightning shooting through the ceiling down from the sky and into her palms. She then pointed her hands forward and blasted a shock of massive electricity toward Saori.

However, much to Lum's dismay, this, too, was deflected, the walls, ceiling and floor of the ruined Mendou Palace surging with darkness and shooting toward Saori. It caused an explosion of a dark, purple glow and a ball of that same energy surrounded Saori, sparking furiously and clashing with Lum's bright, white lightning until it destroyed it completely.

Lum's eyes returned back to their normal color as her face dropped in disappointment and horror. "No…the Reverse Goddess…"

Before Lum could finish, Saori hurled another round of flames toward her, but this time the flames were black and surrounded with this same deep, dark purple electricity. Lum gasped as the attack hit her, the electricity binding her and shocking her as it smothered her white electricity and lightning.

"Lum!" Ataru screamed, staring up in anger and fright as he watched her writher up in the air under Saori fire and electrical attack. He then furiously glared at the others and shouted at them, "Do something!"

Shutaro now glowered and pulled out his sword, eyeing the dragon in rage. "How dare you harm a noble creature like Miss Lum!" he proclaimed before charging toward it with his sword, his sword suddenly shining with a brilliant, blinding light. He slammed it into the dark energy barrier and forced it through, stabbing it into Saori's back leg.

Saori let out a shrill roar of pain as her attack on Lum stopped. Lum fell to the ground, Ataru hastily going to catch her and the two slammed into the ground together. Saori, meanwhile, growled furiously, rearing her head toward Shutaro in rage as Shutaro ripped out his sword, the dark blood splattering out from the wound. He gasped, however, when he saw her massive head racing toward him, ready to ram him and then crush him into the stone marble, if not rip him to pieces with her sharp teeth.

"Prince Shutaro!" Shinobu cried, quickly running to his rescue as her arm glowed with the mark of the Prince of the Guardian. She slid in front of him, punching Saori's head and causing the beast's neck to snap backward and her head to smack into the wall between two of the large windows, crumbling the stone and creating one large, gaping hole instead.

Meanwhile, Kyoko desperately watched Yusaku pitifully run for his life. She bit her lower lip and clenched her hands into fists. "Isn't anyone going to help Godai?" she thought to herself, her eyes filling with indignant tears. "Or is that man going to kill him just like he did with Soichiro?" She then raised her hands and clasped them in front of her chest in a sudden, desperate, pleading prayer, "Please, Soichiro, you have to protect Godai!"

Yuichi growled furiously in the meantime, missing once more with his sword. "Stand still and die like a man, you little coward!" he yelled angrily at him, swinging his sword once more toward Yusaku.

Yusaku let out a frantic cry of panic before falling to the floor to dodge the sharp edge and postpone his demise a little longer. He groaned before gasping, realizing that he was on the floor. He went to get up, but Yuichi grabbed hold of his wrist, dragging him up to his knees. Glaring down at him with cold, unfeeling eyes, Yuichi said callously, "Now, Yusaku Godai, you die just as Soichiro Otonoshi died."

Yusaku gulped and shut his eyes tightly while Kyoko started running forward, crying out "No!"

Much to Yusaku's relief, however, he heard Yuichi let out a scream. Yusaku opened his eyes and lifted his gaze to see Yuichi drop his sword and fall to the ground beside him, an arrow pierced through his shoulder.

"An…arrow…?" Yusaku asked, blinking in bewilderment and then turned to see where it came from.

Surprised, he soon spotted Kagome standing on one of the windowpanes with her bow drawn and a smile; behind her was Inuyasha. "Hello, Mr. Godai!" she greeted him, her grin widening.

"Ka - Kagome?!" Yusaku exclaimed in shock. He then let out an "eek!" as he saw a boiling Yuichi rising and ripping out the arrow from his shoulder while picking up his sword. With a panicked scream, Yusaku leaped to his feet and began running again.

"Oh, no! Mr. Godai!" Kagome cried.

But Inuyasha put a hand in front of her to stop her and told her, "I'll take care of Godai; you just go help out with the dragon."

"Dra…dragon?" she stammered worriedly before looking over at the roaring Saori. She gulped, but said, "All right…" She then jumped off the ledge into the throne room and started running toward the battle while Inuyasha went the other way to defend Yusaku from Yuichi's sword.

Yusaku ran, until he hit a wall. He stumbled back, rubbing his head and then gasped, turning around to see Yuichi advancing. He let out a terrified scream and slammed his back against the wall in fright.

Yuichi raised his sword with a wicked grin and Yusaku fell on his backside, holding up his arms over his head as his only line of defense when Inuyasha came to his rescue, his Tetsusaiga clashing with Yuichi's sword.

Holding back Yuichi's sword, he looked back at Yusaku with a cocky smirk, "Jeez, you really are always getting yourself into trouble, aren't you?" He then turned back to Yuichi, his hair turning white, and started to do battle with him.

Meanwhile, Shinobu and Shutaro fell to the ground, dodging another one of Saori's angry attacks of fire. As Shinobu sat up, she saw Kagome running toward the dragon. "Kagome!" she called out with a happy laugh.

Kagome turned and as soon as she spotted her, laughed herself and ran toward them. She dropped to the ground and gave Shinobu a hug. "Shinobu! You're all right!" she exclaimed, embracing her tightly.

"I'm so happy to see you, Kagome! I'm sorry I disappeared like that!" Shinobu told her, hugging her friend back.

"That's all right," Kagome insisted. "Inuyasha told me what happened." She then released Shinobu and asked in confusion, "But why is that man attacking Mr. Godai for?"

"I don't know," Shinobu answered honestly.

However, Kagome was distracted as soon as she spotted Shutaro sitting on the floor beside them with a quizzical look in his eyes as he stared at them. She grinned excitedly and exclaimed, "You must be Prince Shutaro! Wow, I've never met a real life prince before!"

Before Shutaro or Shinobu could answer, Saori let out a loud, ear piercing roar as Sango's boomerang finally slashed across her back. The three covered their ears before Shinobu got up and exclaimed, "We've got to help the others!"

"Wait, Shinobu!" Kagome cried worriedly as Shinobu ran off toward the dragon's tail.

Meanwhile, Sango and Kirara flew upward, Saori snapping its huge, salivating jaw of sharp fangs at them. Soon, however, they were cornered up against the ceiling and the wall.

"Sango!" Miroku called out, readying his Wind Tunnel to aim at the dragon. However, he froze as the memory of Yuichi turning his Wind Tunnel against his friends flashed in his mind. The, he heard Sango let out a startled gasp as Saori's open mouth went toward her and cried out once more, "Sango!"

It was then that Shinobu had grabbed onto Saori's long tail and held firmly onto it, stopping her when her nostrils were only inches away from Sango. Shinobu clenched her teeth, closed her eyes tightly, and let out a groan as she strained to hold the beast back. Saori glared back at her with burning red eyes.

"Miss Shinobu, watch out!" Shutaro called out to heras he stood up while Saori turned her long neck and now charged her head toward Shinobu.

Shinobu opened her eyes to see this and let out a frightened gasp. She then squeezed her eyes tightly shut again, her arm glowing brightly as she yanked on the tail with all her strength, pulling Saori's legs from underneath her. The whole room shook as Saori collapsed to the ground with a thunderous bang and the others tumbled to the ground with the quake, including Shinobu, who released Saori's tail as she fell.

"Wow…Shinobu's really strong…" Kagome commented in awe.

"Of course she is; she's my Guardian of the Prince, after all," Shutaro haughtily informed her.

Kagome then frowned and looked down at her bow that lay in her lap. "But what should I do? My arrows aren't going to help much."

"There you are!" Lum's voice called out, flying swiftly over to her.

Kagome looked up to see the beautiful green-haired girl with horns hovering over her. She blinked a few times, almost unable to comprehend the amazing sight she beheld. "You're…you're the Eternal Goddess Lum, right?" she asked.

"No time for introductions!" Lum said before placing a hand down on Kagome's head and chanting quickly, "I bless with you the glory of the Eternal Goddess and give you the strength of the Sacred Cave; and upon your spirit, I bestow the title of High Priestess of the Eternal Goddess Lum."

With this, the words "high priestess" glowed on Kagome's forehead in kanji before disappearing into her skin. Kagome touched her forehead in puzzlement. Meanwhile, Lum called out to Sango, "Sango!"

Sango nodded and raced down from the air with Kirara while Lum turned to Kagome and said, "Just shoot your arrows into the Dragon!"

"But - "

"Just trust me!" Lum assured her with a warm smile when Kagome was suddenly swooped up in the air by Sango, pulling her onto Kirara's back.

Kagome let out a gasp as she saw them quickly distance themselves from the ground and clung onto Sango tightly with her eyes closed. After a few moments, she found the courage to open them again to see they were now circling behind the dragon, the dragon breathing fire at them while they tried to outrun the flames.

"Shoot your arrows!" Sango ordered urgently.

"Right!" Kagome answered, fear stirring in her eyes as she bravely let go of Sango and pulled up her bow with one hand and took out one of her arrows from the sack on her back with the other. She aimed and pulled the bow back when she noticed the tip of her arrow begin to glow. "It's…it's glowing."

"Shoot!" Sango repeated.

Kagome narrowed her eyes, her forehead glowing once more as she released the arrow. The arrow went rushing toward Saori and quickly cut through her shield. It pierced into the back of Saori's flesh with an explosion of magnificent light and Sango and Kagome both held up their arms to blind their eyes from the brilliant glow.

Saori let out a scream as the flesh of the dragon melted away, soon leaving only the female body of Saori. The arrow dropped to the ground and Saori glowered, fuming with rage and vengeance to see that they had successfully killed the dragon demon she had become.

"It's a woman!" Kagome exclaimed in surprise.

"That's no ordinary woman," Sango warned her as Saori turned to them with her fiery glare and pointed her palm up at them. A pulse of energy went soaring toward them and they went flying back, crashing into the wall and then falling to the floor. She then turned her furious stare to the others, the dark energy of the palace surrounding her and building up around her.

Meanwhile, Yuichi growled at Inuyasha, "This battle doesn't concern you!" as he swung his sword at him. Inuyasha blocked Yuichi's sword with his Tetsusaiga, however while Yusaku cowered behind Inuyasha, whimpering as he watched the sword fight ensue. Growing furious, Yuichi held up his free hand and sent an energy blast toward Inuyasha.

Inuyasha gasped and hastily pulled the Tetsusaiga away from Yuichi's sword. "Wind Scar!" he shouted, cutting his sword through the powerful dark energy. The energy split in half and hit against the wall on both sides of Yusaku.

Yusaku let out an "eep!" and trembled fearfully as he looked at the charred walls as they began to smoke from the attack. In the meantime, Yuichi took this opportunity to cut his own sword across Inuyasha's face. Inuyasha staggered back, the blood squirting from his cheek and he cursed, "Damn it!" He then charged Yuichi with the Tetsusaiga. It clashed once more with Yuichi's sword. At that moment, Yuichi shoved his free hand into Inuyasha's gut and dug his fingers deep into his flesh, a large amount of energy sparking out. Inuyasha's eyes widened as he coughed up some blood before the energy from Yuichi's fingers became a powerful blast, sending Inuyasha careening into the wall beside Yusaku with a painful scream. Inuyasha hit the wall, crushing some of the stone, before falling to the ground unconscious.

"Inuyasha!" Yusaku exclaimed and crawled over to him. Shaking him worriedly, he shouted out to him again, "Inuyasha!" But Inuyasha remained unmoving. Yusaku's eyes filled with both despair and fear as he saw Inuyasha wasn't waking up and then looked up to see Yuichi standing over him with a cruel smirk.

"Now, you will both die - by the hands of the Great Prince Yuichi!" Yuichi shouted, voice increasing with rage as he exclaimed this proclamation. He then went to drive his sword into a seemingly helpless Yusaku.

However, just as the sword went to hit Yusaku, a shield of dark energy surrounded him, Yuichi's sword crashing into it. Yuichi glowered furiously, and dug his sword in harder, sparks flying,. "No! I won't believe it!" he shouted vehemently, but Yusaku's shield would not be cracked. "You will die just as Soichiro died! You will not defeat me!"

"What's going on?" Yusaku asked, trembling worriedly as he nervously glanced over the dark light surrounding and sparking around him. It was then that he felt the enormous pain again. He let out a scream and doubled over, wrapping his arms around his stomach.

At that moment, Inuyasha began to gain consciousness. He groggily opened his eyes until he heard Yusaku's screams. He gasped and sat up to see Yusaku surrounded by a dark energy sphere and hunched over. "Godai!" he exclaimed, reaching out to grab at him, but as soon as his hand touched the energy barrier around Yusaku, he went flying back, skidding against the marble.

Kyoko, who had been helplessly watching, widened her eyes that glistened with frightened tears. She cried out to the others, "Godai's in trouble!"

They all turned just in time to see Yusaku snap up straight again, his eyes becoming dark and hollow just as before, and raise his hand out, slamming a blast of dark electricity into Yuichi. Yuichi screamed being thrown back into the opposite wall. Kyoko felt her heart jump as she whispered nervously, "Godai…?"

Yusaku, however, was rising, and his clothes suddenly transformed from his ordinary work clothes to the black royal attire that Yuichi had been wearing while Yuichi's clothes were replaced with Yusaku's. Yuichi furrowed his eyes with rage as he screamed, "No!"

Meanwhile, Saori stopped fighting, her face dropping and her eyes widening as she stared at Yusaku. "He's…he's the Reverse Prince…"

"Godai!" Inuyasha, on the other hand, exclaimed urgently, running up to him and taking hold of his hand. But Yusaku flung him off with ease, sending him crashing into the wall beside Yuichi.

"Inuyasha!" Lum cried out, tears flinging from her eyes.

Meanwhile, Ataru turned fearfully to Lum, "What's going on, Lum?"

"Mr. Godai couldn't be the Reverse Prince!" Shinobu added with fear flashing in her gaze.

Kyoko, meanwhile, gasped, placing a hand over her mouth. "If Yuichi was trying to kill Godai because he was the Reverse Prince, then Soichiro must have also been…" She shook her head, feeling as something was clamping down on her throat choking her and making her unable to finish her sentence. Her warm, crystal tears sprinkled from her eyes, as she started running toward him. "Godai!" she cried, reaching a hand out to him, but just as she was about to touch him he vanished and she fell to her knees.

He soon reappeared in front of the throne and sat down, his eyes still hollow and dark and his expression was empty and lifeless. "My throne!" Shutaro exclaimed as it began to turn black and dark electricity sparked around it.

Meanwhile, an infuriated Yuichi rose, murderous envy consuming his eyes. He growled furiously. "No!" he declared. "I am the true Reverse Prince!" He then charged forward at rapid speed, sword drawn and aimed directly at the unmoving Yusaku's heart.

However, a foot away from the throne, Saori stepped in front of him and dug a sword right through his stomach. He gasped, his eyes widening as he felt them darken over with death. "Sao…Saori…?" he asked in disbelief and she dug the sword deeper into his gut, pushing it upward to puncture his vital organs. He grunted, blood gurgling out of his mouth.

"I am the Guardian of the Prince; it is my duty to protect the Prince," she said coldly. With that she yanked the sword from him and he fell down to the ground dead. She then turned and knelt before Yusaku. He raised a limp hand and handed it to her. She took it and kissed it. "I will serve you always, Prince Yusaku, the true Prince of Rumi."

At that moment, a transparent image of the woman from the mirror appeared - the Reverse Goddess Yuriko - behind the throne. Her arms wrapped around the throne and the lifeless Yusaku before the throne began moving backward toward the wall. The others gasped as they watched them begin to melt into the wall.

"Mr. Godai!" Shinobu cried.

"What's happening?!" Kagome, meanwhile, questioned in confusion.

Lastly, Kyoko got up from the floor with a cry, heavy tears falling from her eyes as she saw Yusaku begin to fade away into the wall along with Saori and the Reverse Goddess. "No…Godai," she whispered in a trembling voice before running toward him, calling out desperately, "Godai!"

She slammed hard into the wall, however, just as Yusaku and the others disappeared completely. She slumped down, falling to her knees as her fingers pressed harshly against the wall, and began to cry.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty: Take Back the Stolen Memories!

"Poor Mr. Godai," Kagome said, hugging her knees and lowering her eyes as she and the others sat in the throne room, except Inuyasha, who lay sleeping on the side, still unconscious from Yusaku's last blow. "He's probably so lonely and scared in…wherever it is he went."

"The Reverse World Imur," Lum answered gravely. "It is the world where the demons of Rumi came from, and the world where the most powerful demons are still trapped."

Kagome's eyes became sadder and she brought her knees closer to her. "Poor Mr. Godai…" she repeated.

"But why would Mr. Godai be the Reverse Prince?" Shinobu asked. "It doesn't make any sense. He isn't a demon and he's not from Imur or Rumi. He's just plain, old Mr. Godai."

"It doesn't matter who the person is or where they're from," Lum explained. "The Goddess chooses who she feels is worthy; the rest is fate. Like you and Kagome. You're both from Soichiro's world, but you're still my Guardian of the Prince and High Priestess."

"But why would you pick me for?" Kagome asked now. "I still don't understand."

"Because…I believe you are the reincarnation of my old high priestess, Kikyo," Lum replied honestly.

"Kikyo…?"

"And, if you are," Lum continued, "then you should have the power to create a new Sacred Jewel that we can use to seal up the Reverse World again." She then frowned bitterly and said, "But now that Godai's trapped in the Reverse World, we can't close it off anymore. That's why I think the Reverse Goddess chose him; because she knew that we wouldn't abandon him and she'd still have a chance to get to Rumi. That's partially why she chose Amane as her High Priest, I think; and that's why she originally chose Soichiro as her Prince."

Kyoko lifted her eyes now to look at Lum, only to cast them down in her fear and doubt. "So then…it's true. Soichiro really was the Reverse Prince. And that's why Yuichi killed him; because he was jealous just like he was with Godai."

Ataru shook his head and raised an indignant fist. "No way! Soichiro never did anything to anyone!"

"Darling's right!" Lum chimed in, looking desperately to Kyoko and Kyoko looked up again, her eyes glistening with a sudden flicker of hope. "Soichiro was chosen by the Reverse Goddess, but he denounced her and denied the throne. Amane, on the other hand…"

"But then why can't Mr. Godai just do the same?" Kagome asked. "He didn't seem to have a choice at all."

"Because both Amane and Soichiro had power beyond the power given to them by the Reverse Goddess," Lum told her. "Amane had the power I had given him as the Guardian of the Prince. Soichiro had his own mysterious power…one that helped him crack through the barrier between our world and his world with Darling. They could not be controlled so easily by Yuriko. But Godai is just an ordinary young man, so she can channel all her power through him and take away his free will. He has no strength to fight it. Even Soichiro, though, had a difficult time controlling the powers Yuriko had given to him. That's why he left Rumi and chose never to come back. Not only because he was getting married, but because he was afraid he might hurt us. And that is why he was killed; not only because he lost the power to defend himself against Yuichi or because Yuichi was jealous, but because he betrayed the Reverse Goddess and denounced her. He died so he could protect us."

"That means…Soichiro…" Kyoko faded off, placing a hand over her heart and narrowing her sorrowful eyes as a couple tears dropped down on her skirt.

"But, Lum, why didn't you tell us?" Ataru asked and Shutaro nodded.

Lum smiled sadly. "I didn't want you to think badly of him, Darling - or to be afraid of him. I didn't want either of you to be afraid so I tried to tell you as little as possible about the Reverse World and Yuriko. It's my obligation as your goddess to protect you as best as I can."

"But how can we help Mr. Godai?" Shinobu asked now. "How do we get him back to normal?"

"We have to purify him," Lum answered.

"You mean, exorcise the demon Yuriko from his body?" Miroku asked.

"Yes, but it will have to be more powerful than an exorcism," Lum told him and turned to Kagome. "I'll need you to shoot one of your Sacred Arrows into him; that should drive Yuriko and her demon magic from him."

"Shoot Mr. Godai with one of my arrows?" Kagome asked worriedly and doubtfully. "But won't that kill him?"

"The Sacred Arrows aren't ordinary arrows," Lum said when suddenly Inuyasha made a groan.

"Oh, Inuyasha!" Kagome exclaimed, crawling over to where he lay just as he opened his eyes. "Inuyasha, are you all right?"

"Kikyo…" he murmured, still half-conscious.

Kagome smiled and replied, "It's Kagome; don't you remember?"

His eyes opened wider and his vision cleared a bit. Seeing how close she was his cheeks turned pink and he hastily crawled back and sat up. "Kagome!" He then gasped and exclaimed, "Godai!" He looked around frantically. "Where's Godai?!"

"He was taken into the Reverse World," Miroku answered.

"What?!" Inuyasha questioned, rising to his feet and pulling out his Tetsusaiga. "Well, we've got to go and save him then!"

"Except…how do we get into the Reverse World?" Sango inquired, turning to Lum.

Lum frowned. "We can't unless Kagome and I make a new Sacred Jewel and use it to break the barrier completely instead of seal it. We'll have to wait until Saori returns with Godai."

"But say if she doesn't?" Shinobu asked. "Then Mr. Godai will be trapped forever."

"Is there any other way that Yuriko can open the barrier for herself?" Miroku then spoke up.

"She can't unless Amane uses the Sacred Jewel Kikyo and I made to do it," Lum told him. "But he seems to have abandoned her."

"You mean the one Moroboshi _stole_ and gave to the _enemy_," Shutaro corrected, eyeing Ataru with annoyance and Ataru sneered back.

"So then we're at a stalemate," Miroku remarked with a frown. "Although, one question remains - what was the mysterious power that Soichiro had? It seems to be similar to whatever odd power that Ataru seems to have."

"Hey, maybe that's our trump card!" Shinobu offered hopefully, turning to Ataru.

"Except that whatever power Moroboshi has had cause nothing but trouble," Shutaro reminded her. "First coming back through time to ruin my life, then cracking the barrier between the Reverse World and Rumi which caused this whole big mess."

"Hey, without me, you wouldn't have met Lum or Soichiro, so ha!" Ataru declared self-righteously.

"Don't use Miss Lum or Soichiro to make up for your disastrous mistakes!" Shutaro retorted when he suddenly noticed his hands glowing. "My hands…" He then gasped as they started to disappear. "Ah! I'm disappearing again!"

"What?!" the others exclaimed.

"Why does this keep happening to me?!" Shutaro questioned in self-pity as he watched his hands slowly disintegrate in front of him.

"But…I thought the Tenseiga had worked!" Shinobu exclaimed frantically. Then, seeing the light brightening, she cried, "No, Prince Shutaro!" and reached out for him. As soon as she touched his shoulder, both of them disappeared in a burst of light.

"Shinobu!" Kagome cried out as they vanished, but it was too late. "Oh, no! Where'd they go?"

And Lum narrowed her eyes fiercely. "Amane."

* * *

Both Shinobu and Shutaro appeared in the air of a dark, empty room. They gasped as the light disappeared from around them and they dropped to the hard, mucky, stone ground. Both of them groaned before sitting up and looking around. "Where…where are we?" Shinobu asked, looking around the bare room that had only shackles attached to the walls and bars on the high, small, narrow windows.

"I don't know, Miss Shinobu," Shutaro answered truthfully.

"Of course you wouldn't; you've never actually been here before," the familiar voice of Amane came to them and they turned to see him standing by the doorway. "This is a prison cell in one of the towers of your palace. We took prisoners up here that were going to be beheaded."

Shinobu cringed, clasping both hands over her neck with a look of panic. Shutaro, meanwhile, scowled and stood up, unsheathing his sword and standing in front of Shinobu. He said in a low voice, "Amane."

"Don't worry; I'm not here to hurt you," Amane told him. "So you can put the sword away, Prince Shutaro." However, Shutaro kept his sword drawn and his fighting stance readied. Amane, meanwhile, glared down at Shinobu. "I don't remember inviting _you_ here."

"I came to protect Prince Shutaro!" Shinobu declared, standing up herself and stepping beside Shutaro with her fists raised.

Amane sighed in disgust. "What does he need you when he has his precious Eternal Goddess Lum for?" he questioned with bitter resentment and Shinobu frowned.

Shutaro, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes with both suspicion and anger. "If you aren't going to hurt me, then why have you brought me here?" he demanded.

"I want to know if you _know_," Amane answered. "If you remember the truth."

Shutaro's eyes widened as he placed his free hand onto his throat where the thick scar still remained. "I…I know," he replied doubtfully.

"But do you _remember?_" Amane questioned. "Or is it just what Lum told you?"

Shutaro looked downward. "I…no, I don't remember." His eyes then shot back up with the same stubborn, righteous anger. "But both Lum and Moroboshi told me that you were my Guardian of the Prince and that you betrayed me for the Reverse Goddess - so you could be her High Priest."

Amane scoffed, averting his eyes. "Is that what they told you?"

Another glint of doubt flashed in Shutaro's eyes. Then, growing more frustrated, he raised his sword and pointed it toward Amane. "I want my memories back!"

Amane gasped in surprise and turned to him. "What?"

"You heard me! I want the memories you stole from me back!" Shutaro demanded and Amane's eyes narrowed.

Shinobu frowned now and took hold of Shutaro's arm. "Prince Shutaro, maybe that's not such a good idea…" she trailed off worriedly.

Amane then scoffed again, and shifted his eyes from Shutaro. "I didn't want you to know anything."

"It's not your decision whether I know or not," Shutaro countered. "Those memories belong to me."

"Damn it, Prince Shutaro!" he exclaimed, spinning around to face him with hurt, frustrated eyes. "I should just take away your new memories and you'll just forget the whole thing!"

"Is it because you love him?" Shinobu broke in suddenly and both Shutaro and Amane gasped and looked to her. Her cheeks turned red as she lowered her eyes to avoid their stares. "Is it…because you love Prince Shutaro…that you don't want him to remember what you did to him?"

Shutaro now looked to Amane, blushing himself. But his anger had subsided and had been replaced with curiosity and apprehension. Amane, meanwhile, glared downward, a tint of red in his cheeks, both embarrassment and frustration because of this embarrassment flashing in his eyes. "Prince Shutaro, I - " he began, but stopped short, unable to finish. Then, with a stubborn glint flickering in his eyes, he stood up straight and returned his glare back to both Shinobu and Shutaro. "Fine," he conceded. "I will give back your memories, Prince Shutaro. I'll show them to both of you - along with my own memories. Then maybe…" he trailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished. He then lifted a hand up and a small sphere of light shined for an instant before expanding and engulfing the whole room into its brilliant radiance

* * *

"Prince Shutaro! Prince Shutaro!" the frantic voices called as knights and servants ran about the halls of the Mendou Palace that early morning.

"What's wrong?" one asked, stopping another who had been running around in frenzy with the others.

"Prince Shutaro has gone missing!" she cried to him.

"Missing?!"

So the search continued throughout the Mendou Palace as knights were sent out into the city to look for the young, lost prince. Meanwhile, Amane, only a young knight of sixteen, searched with the others inside the castle. As the frantic voices of "Prince Shutaro!" echoed throughout the palace, the faint sound of a child crying surprisingly came to his ears.

"Hmm?" He listened attentively, following the sound as the chaos ensued in the hallway. He soon found himself in one of the empty servants' quarters. He could see a young boy of six or so sitting in the back corner behind one of the cots dressed in white royal attire. His face was all red and wet and he was quietly sobbing into his knees.

"Prince Shutaro?" Amane asked, having never actually seen the young prince before. The boy, however, did not lift his head and just kept crying. Amane smiled sympathetically and walked over to the boy. He knelt down in front of him and asked, "Why are you crying?"

"Because."

"Because why?" Amane inquired further.

"Because," however, was all the boy would answer.

Amane sighed and frowned, scratching his head as he tried to contemplate what to do next. However, a hopeful spark soon returned to his face and lit up his gaze and he placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Now, a great prince of Rumi wouldn't be crying, now would he? A great prince would try to be brave and face whatever it is that's making him sad."

"How do you know? I'm the one who's the prince," the boy retorted, but wiped his tears from his eyes with his sleeve, nonetheless.

"So you are Prince Shutaro," Amane declared with a smile. "Everyone's been looking for you. They're all very worried. They think something bad might have happened to you."

"That's because I'm a prince, like you said - the Great Prince Shutaro," Shutaro answered, his tears stopping as he sat up straight. "Of course everybody's looking for me - because I'm _important._"

Amane laughed good-naturedly and teased lightly, "Why, you're a little bit of a brat, aren't you, Prince Shutaro?"

"Hey, you can't talk to princes like that," Shutaro scolded. "That's why they're princes for."

Amane laughed again and replied, "You're right; I apologize, Prince Shutaro."

"Good," Shutaro replied in satisfaction as he folded his arms. Then, a bit of curiosity flickered in his eyes as he looked up at Amane. "So…what's your name?"

"My name? It's Amane Iseki," he introduced himself with a warm grin. "I'm a Knight of Rumi."

"Oh," Shutaro replied, frowning with some puzzlement still.

"Do you feel any better?" Amane then asked. "You've stopped crying."

"I wasn't crying," Shutaro, however, flatly answered, cocking his head to the side. "Great princes don't cry. They're brave."

Amane laughed once more and stood up now. "You're a cute kid," he commented with a kind smile.

"Hey, where are you going?" Shutaro asked worriedly, standing up and clinging onto Amane's pants' leg. "Are you leaving?"

"I was just going to tell the others that you're all right," Amane explained.

"You're not going to tell them I was crying, are you?" Shutaro asked with even more worry.

Amane sighed and shook his head. "No, Prince Shutaro, I won't," he said with an assuring smile.

"Good, because I wouldn't let you, anyway - because I'm the Great Prince Shutaro," Shutaro said, releasing Amane's leg.

"Of course, Prince Shutaro," Amane answered with a knowing smile. "May I ask, though, what made you so sad?" The young Shutaro blushed and looked down to his feet in embarrassment with a frown. Seeing his reaction, Amane knelt down again and said, "Tell you what, Prince Shutaro - it doesn't matter what's making you sad anymore, because from now on, I'm going to protect you."

Shutaro looked up at Amane and blinked a few times in confusion. "Protect me?"

Amane nodded. "Whatever it is that's hurting you, I'll take care of it for you, so you won't have to ever be scared or sad anymore. I swear by the Eternal Goddess Lum and as a Knight of Rumi, I promise I'll protect you always, for the rest of your life, so you will always be happy."

"But that's a long time, isn't it?" Shutaro questioned doubtfully.

"Yes, a very long time," Amane told him with a smile. "So no worries anymore, okay?"

"Okay," Shutaro answered with some doubt still, and crossed his arms again, giving Amane a stern look. "But you better keep your promise to me now, all right?"

Amane chuckled warmly and stood up. "I figured you'd say something like that, Prince Shutaro," he joked warmly. And then, taking Amane's lead, Shutaro followed him out of the room.

* * *

"Moroboshi! How many times do I have to tell you not to touch things?!"

"Jeez, Mendou, stop being so anal! It's not like you don't have hundreds of these stupid things!"

"They're precious family heirlooms! Now put that down! _Moroboshi!_"

Ataru began to snicker holding a vase, but these were soon cut off by Amane's menacing voice as he ordered, "Put it down," as well as a sword being strategically placed right under Ataru's chin. Ataru gulped and slowly placed the vase back down on its pedestal. "You know, disobeying the orders of the Great Prince Shutaro is considered treason, a crime punishable by _death_," Amane told him fiercely, the blade coming closer to Ataru's neck and Ataru let out a small yelp of panic.

Shutaro's anger had now subsided as he let out a nervous laugh. "Now, now, Amane; there's no need for that!" he assured him with a weak smile and a wave of his hand.

Amane scoffed in disgust as he glared at Ataru with contempt, but withdrew and sheathed his sword. "You're fortunate that Prince Shutaro is so merciful, weasel," he muttered to Ataru and Ataru gave him a sneer back. Amane then fell to his knees and took Shutaro's hand. "Forgive me, Prince Shutaro, for drawing my sword without your permission. Unlike some ungrateful idiots - " at this, he glared back at Ataru, who, in turn, stuck his tongue out at him - "I thank you for your mercy and leniency."

Shutaro frowned awkwardly, feeling his cheeks begin to flush. "Uh…don't mention it, Amane."

"Know that everything I do is to serve you; my soul purpose in life is to see ensure your happiness. My heart belongs to you and you alone, Prince Shutaro."

Shutaro's face turned redder and he forced a laugh while Ataru began to snicker. "Oh…um…well, thanks, Amane. That's really…er…nice…" he replied uncomfortably, pulling his hand from Amane's and giving Amane an awkward pat on the shoulder. "You're…uh…a good knight." At this, he hastily slipped past him and over to Ataru. "Come on, Moroboshi…" he said, giving Ataru a shove forward. He then turned back, gave Amane a meek wave and said with a smile, "Bye, Amane; see you later!" Amane's face turned red, suddenly feeling very embarrassed, and looked downward. Then, Shutaro and Ataru proceeded down the hall again away from Amane.

"Jeez, Mendou, how many portraits do you need of yourself, anyway?" Ataru questioned.

"I can't help it if people love to gawk at my beautiful face all the time, Moroboshi," Shutaro smugly answered, before snidely jabbing, "Of course, seeing as how ugly you are, you really wouldn't understand these things."

Ataru crossed his hands behind his head. "Oh, so it's a pretentious thing, is it?" he casually commented with a smirk. Shutaro shot him an indignant glare and then the two turned the corridor, disappearing out of Amane's sight.

Amane was still kneeling on the floor and blushing with a newfound disdain for himself, when he suddenly heard a gentle voice say, "You know, Amane, I think what you said was very sweet. I wish Darling would say nice things like that to me sometimes."

He turned to see Lum flying beside him with a sympathetic smile. He gasped, exclaiming, "Goddess!" and hastily rose to his feet, bowing his head.

Lum giggled and replied, "You really care for Shutaro, don't you?"

"I…" he trailed off, cheeks reddening as he dropped his gaze from her.

"You shouldn't be embarrassed!" Lum insisted. "It's very noble of you to want to make sure your prince is happy; that's the royal duty of a knight, after all."

"I made an oath to him - that I would always protect him, no matter what," he told her, still refusing to lift his eyes to her. "That I'd make sure he was always happy."

Lum blinked in surprise. "Oh, I see," she said, smiling again. "Well, I think you've done a great job so far."

"Do you…really think so?"

"Sure I do," Lum sincerely answered. "Because you love him - and I can't think of anyone who could make Prince Shutaro happier or protect him more than someone who loves him as much as you do." Amane looked up now, eyes widening with her answer, but she was already flying off down the hall in the direction Shutaro and Ataru had gone.

* * *

The words "Guardian of the Prince" written in gold kanji appeared on Amane's arm. He looked up, kneeling on the floor, to where Lum stood before him in the Mendou Palace throne room with a smile. "You are now Shutaro's Guardian of the Prince!"

Amane looked down at the mark again and then bowed his head. "Thank you, Goddess; I am honored."

"Don't thank me!" Lum insisted. "You deserve it!" She then stepped to the side to reveal Shutaro, who was trying his best to smile.

"Congratulations, Amane," he said as best as he could. "You're my new Guardian of the Prince."

Amane now rose and placed two hands on Shutaro's shoulders. "As your Guardian of the Prince, I swear I will continue my oath to protect you, Prince Shutaro. I would do anything to ensure your happiness - even die."

Shutaro tried to smile and hastily said, "Now, there's no need for you to worry about dying for me…" before coughing out a nervous chuckle and adding, "But I…uh…appreciate the offer, I suppose." He then pulled away from Amane and turned to Lum. With a charming grin and a bow, he said, "Thank you, Miss Lum, for choosing to protect me and the Mendou Dynasty. On behalf of Rumi, I am eternally grateful for your blessing to my kingdom."

"Don't mention it, Shutaro!" Lum exclaimed, smiling back and the two laughed while Amane's face dropped with some disappointment. "Now, we ought to get going; Soichiro and Darling are already waiting in the library for us."

"Of course, Miss Lum," Shutaro told her and the two began to walk away.

A sudden flash of desperation fleeting across his eyes, Amane called out, "Um…Prince Shutaro?"

Shutaro and Lum stopped at the doors of the throne room, Shutaro turning around with a puzzled expression on his face. "Yes, Amane?" he asked hesitantly.

Amane lowered his eyes. "I…just wanted to tell you to be happy, that's all."

Shutaro smiled genuinely at this and replied, "Thanks, Amane." He then turned back to Lum and said, "Come on, Miss Lum."

Lum smiled brightly, as if a light were beaming from her. As she left, she turned back to Amane with a wave and said, "Goodbye, Amane!"

And, as they left, the first glint of envy came to Amane's eyes.

* * *

"The mirror is obviously cursed," Amane declared as he, Lum, Soichiro, Shutaro, and Ataru stood in Shutaro's bedroom. "We should destroy it at once."

"It's not just this mirror," Shutaro explained. "I've seen her…throughout the palace. I think…I think she hates me."

"Don't you think you're overreacting?" Ataru questioned.

"I'm being serious!" Shutaro retorted.

Ataru frowned and glanced back over at the mirror. "Well, maybe then the whole palace is cursed. Or haunted…"

"Well, if she isn't hurting anyone…" Lum trailed off uneasily, something grave stirring in her eyes. However, she then smiled and took hold of Ataru's arm. "Come on, Darling! You, Soichiro, and I ought to get going back home to your village."

"Yeah, yeah," Ataru muttered and then pulled at his arm with a scowl. "Why do you have to keep holding onto me like that for?"

"Darling!" Lum snapped bitterly.

Soichiro sighed and said, "Come on, you two," before gently pushing them toward the doorway.

"But, Miss Lum - " Shutaro went to protest, but Lum turned around and gave him a smile.

"Don't worry, Shutaro; if it gets any worse, I'll take care of it for you!" she told him and the three left.

Shutaro frowned with some doubt as he mumbled, "Well, if Miss Lum says it will be all right…" he trailed off, slumping down in his seat that faced the large mirror.

"Yes, if Lum says it will be all right," Amane repeated with a frown. "You really rely on her a lot, don't you, Prince Shutaro?"

Shutaro looked up in surprise, blushing a bit. "Well…I guess so. She is the Eternal Goddess, after all."

"But she's your friend, isn't she?" Amane questioned further.

"Of course Miss Lum is my friend," Shutaro answered. "And I trust she'll take care of me."

"You mean, protect you?" Amane asked.

Shutaro nodded and smiled. "Sure. I mean, that's why she gave me a Guardian of the Prince and all - to protect me."

"Right," Amane answered with a small flash of envy crossing his gaze as he glared down at the mark of the Guardian of the Prince on his arm. "Do you…you love Lum, don't you?"

Shutaro's face turned a bright shade of scarlet. He hesitated at first, before diplomatically replying, "Of course I love Miss Lum; she is the Eternal Goddess - it is my duty to love her as the Prince of Rumi."

"Yes, you're right," Amane answered. "We all love Lum, for blessing our kingdom."

A silence fell between them until Amane finally looked up to see Shutaro staring into the mirror at his own reflection, fear still circling in his gaze as he looked at the cursed mirror. Amane frowned sympathetically before he walked over behind Shutaro's chair. He leaned over and wrapped his arms around Shutaro, much to Shutaro's surprise. "Don't be afraid, Prince Shutaro," Amane told him warmly, "I made a vow to protect you - whatever is in that mirror that is making you unhappy, I will make sure it is destroyed it. You will no longer have to be frightened or sad. I promise."

Shutaro's cheeks turned pink as he looked down from the mirror and the reflection of himself and Amane. "I…" he began, but then quietly said, "Thank you, Amane."

* * *

"I mean, of course I _like_ Amane," Amane overheard Shutaro's voice. He stopped and peeked down the next corridor to see Shutaro with Ataru and Soichiro. "It's just that…well…the whole thing is very complicated!"

"You mean because he's your boyfriend, right, Mendou?" Ataru cracked with a few snickers.

Shutaro's face turned bright red with embarrassment and rage. "It's not like that!" he protested.

"But he _is_ in love with you, isn't he?" Ataru persisted, causing Shutaro's face to turn redder and Ataru snickered because of it.

"Shut up, Moroboshi!" Shutaro snapped irately and Ataru laughed harder.

"Now, now," Soichiro stepped in. "This really isn't any of our business, Ataru."

"Oh, come on, Soichiro - you have to admit it's pretty funny," Ataru said through his snickers. "Mendou gets so embarrassed over the stupidest things; I mean, if it were me, I'd totally be mooching off the guy."

"That's because you're a pathetic loser with no sense of human decency, Moroboshi," Shutaro retorted.

"So that means you _do_ actually care about him," Ataru concluded with another round of laughter and Shutaro scowled furiously while Soichiro frowned in dismay.

"These kinds of things really should be discussed more delicately…" Soichiro tried to inject some reason into the conversation. "After all, I do think Amane really does care about you, Prince Shutaro."

Shutaro winced now, cheeks still flushed as he looked down at his feet. "I _know_ that," he admitted, cheeks reddening. "That's what makes everything so _awkward._"

"You shouldn't be like that, Prince Shutaro," Soichiro said with a smile. "We should never be embarrassed by our friends or the feelings they have for us. And we should be grateful for whatever love someone is willing to give us."

"Yeah, Mendou, be _grateful_," Ataru reiterated with a pompous sneer and Shutaro glowered back.

"I _am_ grateful!" Shutaro snapped and then, realizing what he had said, frowned and looked back to the ground. Slowly, he repeated, "I am…grateful. I am. Amane's always taken care of me for as long as I can remember. And I already told you that I do like Amane. Just…well…not like that. It's not like he's Miss Lum…or…well…" He then turned to Soichiro desperately and asked with pleading eyes, "You understand what I mean, don't you, Soichiro?"

Soichiro laughed gently and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Of course I understand, Prince Shutaro."

"Jeez, what's with all this serious stuff, anyway?" Ataru interjected. "I mean, we should be celebrating now that Kikyo sealed up whatever it was that was haunting this place! So now we've got no more worries, right?"

"Well, you're the idiot who brought the whole stupid thing up, Moroboshi," Shutaro retorted, giving him a vicious glare.

"I was only teasing; of course you'd make the whole thing more serious than it has to be," Ataru remarked with a laidback smirk. "You can never take anything lightly, Mendou."

"I can take things lightly! Tell him, Soichiro!"

Soichiro frowned now and scratched the back of his head. "Well, I suppose you could relax every once in awhile, Prince Shutaro…"

Shutaro's face filled with disappointment while Ataru began to snicker. Shutaro growled and unsheathed his sword. "Shut up, Moroboshi!" Ataru gasped with some panic as Shutaro went to chase after him down the hall. And Soichiro sighed, shaking his head in puzzlement, and slowly and reluctantly followed after them.

And Amane's face filled with envy and anger as he turned to suddenly see the shadow of a woman standing before him - the Reverse Goddess Yuriko.

* * *

"We'll snatch the Sacred Jewel today," Saori said as she, Yuichi, and Amane sat in a small, secluded room in the Mendou Palace. A large mirror was on the wall, where Yuriko's reflection could be seen by them all. "It will be perfect. That idiot Moroboshi is sure to bring it to us. Then, we will awake our Eternal Goddess and Prince Yuichi will take his rightful place as ruler of Rumi, just as Yuriko commands."

"Yes, Saori," Yuriko answered from the mirror. "But be careful to keep Ataru Moroboshi alive - he was born under the ominous star - the same star that was prophesized to create the black hole that would destroy Rumi. And he is the reason why the barrier between Rumi and Imur first began to crack; if the Sacred Jewel fails, he may be the only one with the power to set me free once more."

"And what about Prince Shutaro?" Amane asked, looking down at his mark as the Guardian of the Prince. "What will happen to him?"

"We'll kill him, of course," Yuichi answered with a laugh. "After all, we can never truly take our rightful places in this world if those chosen by the Eternal Goddess Lum continue to exist."

"Yuichi is right," Yuriko decided. "They must die - Kikyo, Lum, and Prince Shutaro. I have been kind enough to spare you from this fate by making you my High Priest."

"I know, but…" Amane trailed off.

"Don't chicken out now," Yuichi spoke up. "Besides, what did Prince Shutaro ever do for you - I thought you hated him."

"He turned his back on you for the Eternal Goddess Lum and by doing so, she has betrayed you as well," Yuriko spoke again. "Her duty is to serve her people and she has failed you." Amane glared away, envy burning his eyes, and Yuriko continued, "You do not want to suffer the same fate as Soichiro, Amane - he died for his betrayal to his goddess."

Yuichi scowled now, his own envy showing, and scoffed, "That bastard Soichiro - he was undeserving of the title Prince, anyway."

"And what good will it bring you?" Yuriko questioned. "You will die and Prince Shutaro will die. There is no escaping it - you know as well as I do."

Saori grinned now. "I'm going to rip out that imposter's heart, just for Prince Yuichi, the true Prince of Rumi."

"No!" Amane exclaimed angrily. "You won't touch him!" A silence followed as he glared away, a struggle in his dark eyes. "I'll…I'll take care of Prince Shutaro. I just don't want him to remember me…when I do it. I don't want him to know what I've done to him. I don't want his last moments in this life to be one of betrayal; I want to spare him that pain."

Yuriko nodded and replied, "It will be done."

* * *

"See you at your coronation, Mendou!"

"Oh…uh…goodbye, Moroboshi."

And so Ataru left Shutaro with Amane in his bedroom. Shutaro looked downward and a moment of silence followed. Finally, Shutaro said worriedly, "I…I have this bad feeling…that something bad is going to happen to me." He looked up at Amane and asked, "Do you think something bad's going to happen to me, Amane?"

Amane looked away. "I don't know, Prince Shutaro." Shutaro laughed sadly now and Amane looked up at him in surprise. "What's so funny?"

"It's just that…I thought you'd say what you always say - that you'd protect me no matter what so I don't have to be afraid or sad anymore," Shutaro explained, letting out another bittersweet laugh.

Amane's face stung with a sudden regret, but then his expression became stubborn and he took Shutaro by the arm. "Come on, Prince Shutaro. We should get going to your coronation before your guests start arriving."

Shutaro blinked, something troubling him about Amane's gaze, but followed him anyway.

* * *

The two walked silently down the halls of the Mendou Palace, an uneasiness in Shutaro's eyes and a darkness stirring in Amane's gaze. When they reached the corridor that lead to the throne room where Shutaro's coronation would be taking place, Amane grabbed hold of Shutaro's arm, pulling him to a stop. "Amane…?"

Amane stepped in front of him, something fierce and desperate in his gaze. "Tell me, Prince Shutaro, are you in love with Lum?"

"What?" Shutaro asked, face turning red. "I mean, I thought I already talked to you about this…"

"But you're _in love_ with her; everyone knows you are," Amane persisted.

"Well…I…"

"But she's in love with that idiot Moroboshi," Amane interrupted angrily. "She is just making you unhappy. They both are. You should just forget about them both entirely."

Shutaro now grew annoyed and crossed his arms. "It's none of your business, really, what I think about Miss Lum or Moroboshi," he told him sternly. "Why are you getting so angry about it, anyway?"

"Because I made an oath to you to protect you from whatever it is that is making you unhappy," Amane answered.

"Yeah, but…this is completely different; Miss Lum isn't making me unhappy," Shutaro argued. "Even Moroboshi, as annoying as he can be, doesn't really bother me _that_ much. You're just making too much out of the whole thing."

Shutaro then pushed past him, but Amane grabbed hold of his wrist and snapped, "How can she not be making you unhappy if you love her and she's in love with someone else?"  
Shutaro then turned to see the anger, sadness, and envy mixing in Amane's gaze as he glared down at him and held tightly to his wrist. Shutaro looked down for a moment, but then tried his best to smile. "Don't worry, Amane; everything's fine. Miss Lum and Moroboshi are both my friends…just like me and you are, right?"

Amane scoffed and angrily released Shutaro's wrist. "What do you truly think of me, Prince Shutaro?" he asked. "Tell me sincerely."

"I…I don't know," Shutaro answered warily, rubbing his sore wrist. "I already said we're friends. You're the one who always takes care of me."

"But you have Lum to do that for you now, don't you?" he bitterly questioned and Shutaro frowned.

"Yeah, but…" Shutaro trailed off, glaring away. Then, he smiled and asked as pleasantly as he could, "Well, what do you think of me, then?

Amane chuckled sharply and, with a smirk, bitterly replied, "You already know that I love you."

Shutaro blushed and frowned, an uneasiness building in his gut. He quickly turned around and said, "Anyway…um…we should get going now…"

As Shutaro began to walk away, Amane called to him, "Prince Shutaro."

Shutaro stopped and turned back around. "Yes, Amane?"

"Remember…I made a promise to you - that I would protect you; that nothing bad would happen to you for the rest of your life."

"Yes…" Shutaro trailed off warily.

"Well, I can no longer protect you anymore, Prince Shutaro," Amane said, cold eyes looking toward the wall. "But I won't break my promise to you either."

"What…what do you mean?" Shutaro asked, a sudden flash of fear jabbing through him.

"I mean…that it is time your life ends," Amane answered.

Shutaro's eyes widened and he went to protest, "Hold on a second - " but Amane quickly grabbed him by the wrist, pulled him close to him, and kissed him.

Shutaro finally found the strength to pull himself away from Amane who had so firmly held him for what seemed like an eternity. He backed up a bit, feeling light-headed, and then stared up at the handsome man with long pink hair with a bewildered gaze. "Who…who are you?" he asked.

Pulling his sword out, Amane replied, "Please forgive me, Prince Shutaro."

And Shutaro could see his frightened face in the reflection of the blade before Amane rose the sword and cut it across Shutaro's throat.

Lum arrived only a moment later and gasped in fright to see Amane standing over the dead Shutaro's body with his sword drawn and covered in blood. "A…Amane…?" she stammered in disbelief.

"Yes, Lum, I killed him," he said coldly. "I killed him because I am the High Priest of the Reverse Goddess Yuriko."


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One: Creator of the Sacred Jewel

Amane fell to his knees before both Shutaro and Shinobu as they all still stood in the prison tower of the Mendou Palace. "Please, Prince Shutaro, forgive me; I did only what I could do - you would have died anyway, at the hands of Yuichi and Saori, and have suffered a much crueler death. And you know now that I love you - that I've always loved you, Prince Shutaro. I didn't mean to cause you any harm; you weren't ever supposed to know - to remember." Amane shook his head before lowering it further, a look of self-contempt in his countenance, and then desperately continued to beg, "Please, Prince Shutaro, please forgive me for what I have done to you."

"No."

Both Amane and Shinobu gasped at this cold response. Amane looked up to see Shutaro glaring mercilessly down at him. Meanwhile, Shinobu placed a hand on Shutaro's shoulder and began warily, "But Prince Shutaro…"

"No," Shutaro, however, repeated, eyes narrowing with disdain. "I won't forgive you. You betrayed me. I would have rather died by their hands than know that you're the one who killed me. You have no excuses."

"Please, Prince Shutaro," Amane began to plead again, dropping his head down one again.

"Prince Shutaro," Shinobu stepped in, taking some pity on the fallen Amane. "Maybe you should - "

"Would you have done the same?" Shutaro cut her off, heatedly turning his glare to her. "Would you have killed me just so that I could be spared a crueler death by the hands of somebody else?"

Shinobu looked down with a solemn frown. "No, Prince Shutaro; I wouldn't."

"I know you wouldn't, Miss Shinobu - you fought for me even though I was already dead; you stabbed me with the Tenseiga knowing that it might have destroyed me because there was a chance that I could have been saved."

"But…Prince Shutaro…" Shinobu trailed off helplessly as she stared down at Amane in pity.

"Besides, you didn't kill me to protect me," Shutaro said, coldly returning his glare back to the broken and fallen Amane. "You killed me because you hated Miss Lum. You were my Guardian of the Prince - it was your duty to protect me, no matter what happened. To fight for me, even if it was hopeless - even if you knew I was going to die - or that you were going to die." Shutaro then lowered his glare away from Amane. "And you promised you would always take care of me from whatever was making me sad or afraid - not because you were my Guardian of the Prince, but because we were friends. Instead, you killed me and I was trapped in that horrible dark place where I've never been more sad or afraid before until Miss Shinobu got me out."

"Prince Shutaro, please - " Amane pleaded once more, but it was in vain.

"You lied to me," Shutaro interrupted, returning his angry eyes back to Amane, now stinging with a deep sadness as well. "And I hate you for it. I hate you. More than anyone in this world, I hate you."

As the words dug deep into Amane, Amane's eyes filled with rage as he pulled out his sword and drove it towards Shutaro with a furious scream. Shinobu gasped and hastily stepped in front of Shutaro, slamming the palm of her hand into Amane's face, sending him flying backwards against the doors of the room.

Amane scoffed, spitting out a bit of blood as he stared with contempt at Shutaro and Shinobu, who stood defensively in front of him. "I see - so _that's_ how it is, is it?" he began resentfully, standing up and pulling himself off the floor. "Seeing as your goddess failed, you've found someone else to protect you. Well, I hope your new Guardian of the Prince makes you happy, Prince Shutaro. After all, that's what I always wanted for you." Then suddenly, a reddish, purplish crystal appeared floating above his hand.

"What's that?" Shinobu asked in confusion to Shutaro.

Shutaro's eyes widened. "The Sacred Jewel!" he whispered fearfully and Shinobu gasped, turning back to Amane to see him smirk cruelly and the Sacred Jewel turned black.

"Farewell, Prince Shutaro," he said before disappearing.

"No, wait!" Shutaro exclaimed, reaching a hand out to stop him, but it was too late. He hastily and urgently turned to Shinobu. "We have to hurry and warn Miss Lum and the others, Miss Shinobu!"

"Right!" Shinobu exclaimed and ran over to the door, but as soon as her fist touched it, a surge of dark electricity burst out of the door and threw her across the room, slamming into the opposite wall.

"Miss Shinobu!" he cried out, rushing over to her side.

"I'm all right, Prince Shutaro…" she said, trailing off as she sat up. Then, a loud rumble shook the Mendou Palace.

* * *

"Come on, Lum! Have you found them yet?" Ataru asked anxiously as he and the others still sat in the throne room, Lum's eyes tightly shut in meditation.

"No, not yet, Darling," she told him when they felt the room shake and a loud, ominous groan come from the walls. Lum's eyes shot open as she gasped, "Oh, no!" She hastily turned to Kagome. "We have to seal off the Reverse World! Now!"

"I can't!" Kagome exclaimed, shaking her head. "Mr. Godai's still trapped inside there!"

"You have to!" Lum ordered desperately. "Otherwise - " She was interrupted by another shake of the palace and the candles in the room blew out.

"I sense the presence of something very dark and evil," Miroku said gravely as the sky outside grew darker.

It was then that Amane appeared before them, holding a fist up in the air with a wicked smirk. "Amane!" Lum cried as she and the others stood up fearfully. He then opened his hands to reveal a glowing, black Sacred Jewel in his palm. "No, Amane, don't!" Lum pleaded desperately.

"You are no longer my goddess, Lum," he told her flatly. "My alliance is for Yuriko and the Reverse Prince."

It was then that Saori and Yusaku appeared beside him, Saori grinning wildly. "I knew you would never betray your goddess, Amane." she said deviously.

Meanwhile, Kyoko cried out, "Godai!"

"We have to stop them from using the Sacred Jewel to break the barrier between Rumi and Imur!" Lum ordered to the others.

Inuyasha, however, was already drawing his Tetsusaiga as he eyed the Sacred Jewel in Amane's hand. "That belongs to Kikyo," he said fiercely. He then charged toward Amane with a angry scream.

Amane growled furiously and a dark pulse of energy blasted from the jewel, causing Inuyasha to go skidding into the ground. "Inuyasha!" Kagome cried and ran over to him as he groaned and began to sit up.

"Kikyo?" Amane asked in surprise and disbelief as he looked down at her.

Kagome's eyes narrowed as she sharply shifted her glare to him. Pulling an arrow out, she placed it to her bow, aimed it toward Amane, and demanded, "I don't know who you are, but I want you to let Mr. Godai go!"

"Mr. Godai?" Amane asked, even more puzzled than before. He then narrowed his own eyes and questioned fiercely, "Who are you?"

"My name is Kagome Higurashi. Mr. Godai's my teacher and I won't let you hurt him!" With this, she shot her arrow at him, the tip glowing brightly.

Amane growled and held the Sacred Jewel out to form a magical force field. However, the arrow's shining tip clashed with it, causing a huge burst of energy as the arrow struggled to break through the dark field. "A Sacred Arrow!" he exclaimed in horror. Meanwhile, Kagome had shifted her arrow toward the lifeless Yusaku. His eyes widened and he shouted to Saori, "Stop her!"

However, as Kagome released the arrow, Yusaku disappeared. Kagome gasped, "Where'd he go?!" Suddenly, Yusaku appeared behind her and Inuyasha. Kagome let out a startled cry as she looked up to see him glaring down at her with cold, hollow eyes, and his palm raised at her, a ball of dark energy forming in it. "Mr. Godai, don't!" she cried just as he shot the blast toward her.

"Watch out!" Inuyasha shouted, grabbing onto her and jumping up to dodge the fatal blow.

"Thanks!" Kagome told him as they flew in the air and Inuyasha's cheeks turned a bit pink. "But what about poor Mr. Godai?"

Meanwhile, Kagome's Sacred Arrow had finally broken through Amane's shield and sent him careening backwards. He groaned, but clutched tightly onto the black Sacred Jewel still, grimacing bitterly. It was then that Lum rose, electricity wildly sparking around her as her eyes turned white with vengeance as she flew toward Amane. However, Saori hastily flew up to block Lum's path, dark energy spiraling out of the walls of the room into her. She then sent a blast of dark lightning toward Lum in which Lum countered with a blast of her own white lightning.

"Come on, Lum!" Ataru cheered as she began to break through Saori's attack.

Amane's eyes narrowed, rising to his feet. "That's how we'll distract her," he said with a few chuckles. "Prince Yusaku!"

Yusaku nodded and disappeared again before appearing before Ataru, much to Ataru's surprise and fright. He gulped and fell backwards as Yusaku glared down at him, his eyes darkening. Then, he screamed out, "Lum!"

Lum gasped, the white glow leaving her eyes, as she turned her head to see Yusaku hovering over Ataru. "Darling!" she cried, her powerful attack against Saori diminishing and disappearing completely, racing down to Ataru's aid with Saori's attack barely missing her and crashing into the opposite wall.

"Darling!" Lum cried again, darting in front of Ataru just as the blast went toward him. She let out a scream of pain as the powerful attack hit him and fell to her knees.

"Lum!" Ataru shouted, crawling over to her.

"Are you all right…Darling…?" she asked weakly. Then she turned her gaze to see Yusaku advancing. She hastily raised her hand, electricity forming in her palm.

"No, please don't hurt Godai!" Kyoko called out to her and Lum's power vanished as the words stabbed into her. Instead, she narrowed her eyes, crystal tears flinging from them, and took hold of Ataru. The two then went soaring upward just as a second blast went flying toward them. Then, a hollow and cold Yusaku went following up after them, hurling dark energy blasts at them as they tried to outrun him.

"We have to do something to help Mr. Godai!" Kagome urgently exclaimed to Inuyasha. "Lum said I had to shoot my arrows into him and then - "

"There isn't any time for that!" Inuyasha interrupted looking over at Amane. "We have to stop him before he opens the barrier to Imur and releases Yuriko."

"But - " Kagome went to protest, looking over to Yusaku, when Saori appeared in front of them.

"You're not going anywhere," she said.

"You," Inuyasha said fiercely. "You'll pay for what you did to Kikyo!" He then went to attack her, shouting to Kagome, "Go and stop Amane! You're the only one who can seal up the worlds!"

"Okay!" she shouted back as confidently as she could, giving one last glance toward Yusaku before running toward Amane.

Sango, meanwhile, had mounted Kirara with Miroku and were also heading toward Amane, who had aimed the Sacred Jewel toward the wall. She hurled her boomerang at him, but it crashed into the shield and went shooting back at her. "Damn it," she grumbled fiercely before turning to Miroku. "Miroku, use your Wind Tunnel!"

"I can't," he said. "That jewel contains part of Kikyo's soul; if I suck it into my Wind Tunnel, her soul will be eternally doomed to wander."

"But if you don't then all of Rumi will be - "

However, she was cut off by Amane, who had hurled a blast of energy at them. They both gasped and barely dodged it, the blast grazing Kirara and sending crashing down to the floor. Kagome, in the meantime, pulled out one of her arrows and aimed it at Amane. She closed her eyes tightly and shot it toward him. The arrow glowed brightly as it flew toward Amane. Amane glowered and sharply spun about, aiming the Sacred Jewel at the arrow. The arrow hastily disintegrated in a burst of dark light. Amane scoffed. "The power of your Sacred Arrows are nothing compared to that of the Sacred Jewel."

He then grinned wickedly as an enormous blast went hurling toward her and her eyes widened in fear. However, her gaze become stubborn again as she tried her best to swallow her fear. "I'm not going to be afraid of some stupid stone, especially if I'm the one who's supposed to be using it!" Kagome retorted, instinctively pulling out another brightly shining arrow and shooting it at the blast that came flying toward her. Her Sacred Arrow cut through the blast and went flying toward the Sacred Jewel. Just as the tip went to touch the jewel, however, it disintegrated once more. Amane glowered furiously and sent an even larger blast of energy toward her, but Sango hastily scooped her up, riding on Kirara and the blast thankfully missed.

Meanwhile, Lum and Ataru crashed into the wall, one of Yusaku's blasts finally hitting them. They groaned sliding down to the marble floor and Yusaku soon appeared on the floor before them, only a few yards away.

Kyoko gasped and quickly ran in front of Yusaku, grabbing onto his arm. "Godai, please, stop!" she begged, but Yusaku merely pushed her off him with a jerk of his arm. She moaned as she hit the marble. Tears fell from her eyes as she watched him near Ataru and Lum, but she got up once more and stepped in front of him. "Godai, you have to stop! I know you're in there somewhere! Please!"

Yusaku, however, remained emotionless and cold as he grabbed her arm and squeezed it tightly. She let out a cry of pain as she felt it begin to bruise and break under the pressure and soon fell to her knees. "Godai…please…stop…" she repeated weakly, closing her eyes tightly as more tears fell onto the marble. But Yusaku was reaching out his free hand, another energy blast forming to annihilate both Lum and Ataru completely, Kyoko desperately reached her other hand out to grab it and cried with all her might, "_Yusaku, no!_"

At the sound of his first name, Yusaku dropped her hand, a bit of life flashing in his eyes before letting out a scream and falling to his knees in pain. "Yusaku!" Kyoko cried, placing her hands on his shoulders.

Hunched over and clutching onto his stomach, he said in a strained voice, "Kyoko…please…help me…"

Lum, meanwhile, saw this as her opportunity and hastily grabbed on to Ataru, flying off with him toward Kagome. Kyoko, on the other hand, sobbed, "Please, Yusaku! You have to keep fighting! Don't let that evil woman control you!"

"I'm…sorry…Kyoko…" At that moment, his eyes turned hollow again as a burst of black energy surrounded him and he shot up straight again, sending Kyoko flying back into the wall.

Lum dropped onto the ground a safe distance from Yusaku and hurriedly flew over to Sango and Kagome, reaching out her hand and shouting, "Kagome! We have to make a new Sacred Jewel! Before Amane breaks Yuriko free!" Kagome nodded and took Lum's hand, Lum pulling her up from Kirara and into the air. Turning to Sango, she said, "Keep Godai distracted, but don't hurt him!"

"Right!" Sango exclaimed and raced over to where Yusaku was, fighting Miroku who was attempting to defend Ataru.

Miroku threw three of his spell scrolls at Yusaku, but they quickly burned up in his shield of black energy.

"Use your Wind Tunnel!" Ataru exclaimed fearfully as he sat on the ground behind him, tugging on Miroku's robes.

"I can't do that; I'll kill him!" Miroku exclaimed and then gasped as Yusaku sent a blast of energy toward him. However, Sango's boomerang soon came speeding toward them and Yusaku sharply jolted toward it, hurling the blast at it instead. Both Miroku and Ataru took this opportunity to run.

Meanwhile, as soon as Kagome and Lum were above Amane, who was slowly but surely using the black Sacred Jewel to crack open the barrier, a light surrounded the two of them and Lum released Kagome. Kagome blinked in surprise to see she was till floating, however. "I'm…I'm flying."

Lum quickly placed her hands over Kagome's and held them out for her. "Hurry and seal up the barrier before Amane breaks it open!" A light then shone in Lum's hands and began to flow into Kagome's.

"What…what is that…?" Kagome wondered, feeling the calm spirit of Lum flowing into her and filling her eyes with a golden light. However, the wall was darkening and Amane's power was strengthening. Kagome narrowed her eyes, concentrating as hard as she could. "I have to do this," she thought. "I have to help Mr. Godai and Shinobu and Inuyasha and everyone. I can't let them down!"

Suddenly, Yuriko's face pulled itself out of the wall, the image transparent. She drew near to Kagome with a menacing, murderous glare and Kagome let out a frightened cry, closing her eyes tightly.

"Don't be afraid," she suddenly heard Lum's voice echo in her mind. "Be strong."

"But…I…" Kagome thought, feeling herself begin to tremble, but she slowly opened her eyes and turned her head back to face the frightening, menacing demon woman. She let a groan, feeling a strain as the darkness from Yuriko began to try and consume both her and Lum. "It…hurts…so much…" she thought, gritting her teeth and narrowing her eyes.

"You will not succeed; it's already too late," Yuriko spoke to her coldly, the faded image becoming slowly more solid.

"No…I have to help Shinobu…and Mr. Godai…" she thought, wincing as the pain increased and she let out a cry as a tear dropped from her eye. Suddenly, her forehead began to glow with the mark Lum had given her and the tear glowed. Kagome gasped and her eyes widened as she watched the glowing tear float in between the palms of her hands. Lum's light passed through Kagome's hand and into the tear, the tear expanding and growing brighter. Kagome laughed and exclaimed, "I'm…I'm doing it! I'm really doing it!"

It was then that Yuriko's hand suddenly jolted out and grabbed Kagome by the throat. There was an explosion of light and Lum went soaring backwards and the new Sacred Jewel dropped to the ground, the light around it diminishing. Kagome reached her hands up toward the black hand strangling her, struggling to breath as Yuriko grinned and said, "You're too late, priestess. The barrier has already been broken."


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two: Wake the Sleeping Demon Yuriko!

"It isn't working!" Shinobu exclaimed helplessly as her and Shutaro stood in the prison cell still. "What are we going to do, Prince Shutaro?"

"We have to think of something, Miss Shinobu! Miss Lum and the others are in danger!"

"I know, Prince Shutaro; but even if we find a way out of here, it will take us forever to get to find our way back to the throne room," Shinobu reasoned dejectedly.

Shutaro scowled in frustration. "Damn it!" he snapped before suddenly noticing his sword glowing. "Could it be…Miss Lum…?" he wondered aloud before unsheathing it and holding it up for both him and Shinobu to see. The light, however, soon became black. The two gasped as the darkness surrounded them. They disappeared from the prison room.

* * *

The two landed on the ground of the throne room to seeing the demon Yuriko rising out of the wall, clutching brutally onto Kagome's throat. Shinobu gasped fearfully and cried out, "Kagome!" Yuriko shot a glare at her and then tossed Kagome into her in disgust, hitting her into Shinobu and causing the two to slam into the floor. Kagome coughed violently, trying to gasp for air as she lay on top of Shinobu while Shinobu sat up and asked worriedly, "Kagome, are you all right?!"  
"Hello, Prince Shutaro," Yuriko then began, dark energy spilling out from all around her, sparking like black electricity. "I have brought you here so you can finally witness the birth of the new goddess of Rumi." She shot a few bolts of black lightning throughout the room.

Ataru, in the meantime, had rushed over to Lum and was shaking her. "Wake up, Lum! Wake up!"

Lum groaned before gasping, her fear jolting her awake. She looked at Yuriko in horror. "No," she whispered, shaking her head.

"Lum, what are we going to do?!" Ataru asked frantically.

"I…I don't know, Darling," Lum answered in a trembling voice. Then she shook her head, angry tears flying from her eyes, before she stood up resolutely and declared, "No; I will not allow this woman to take away our home, Darling!"

"No, wait! Lum!" Ataru tried to protest, but Lum had already gone up to fight Yuriko.

Sango, who was flying on top of Kirara, then looked down to Miroku and said, "Come on; we have to help her!" Miroku nodded and the two headed toward the battle between the goddesses.

In the meantime, Inuyasha fervently fought with Saori, driving his Tetsusaiga at her. "Why do you keep fighting me?" Saori questioned with a smirk as she dodged his attack. "You've already lost, Inuyasha."

"I won't let you get away with what you've done to Kikyo!" Inuyasha declared. "And you haven't won yet!" His Tetsusaiga clashed with her sword.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome whispered as she watched them battle. She then gasped, remembering the Sacred Jewel. She turned to see it only a little distance away and ran to get it.

"Wait, Kagome!" Shinobu exclaimed when suddenly Amane's sword caught the corner of her eye. She gasped and turned around just as it went plunging toward her, but Shutaro hastily stepped in front of her, using his own sword of light to block Amane's. "Prince Shutaro!" she said in surprise.

"Go and help Kagome purify Godai!" he told her. "I'll take care of Amane."

"But…I thought I was the one who's supposed to be protecting you," she replied, but Shutaro just gave her a smile and then began to duel with a raging Amane.

In the meantime, Kagome picked up her jewel and held it close to her. "The Sacred Jewel…" she said quietly to herself as she looked down at it, trying her best not to cry. "But now Yuriko's already broken free…what can I do with it now…?"

"Kagome!" Shinobu called out, grabbing onto her arm. "We've got to go and help Mr. Godai!"

"Oh, no! Mr. Godai!" Kagome exclaimed, remembering her poor teacher and hastily jumped to her feet.

Meanwhile, Inuyasha was slammed against the wall by Saori. He grunted and opened his eyes to see the black Sacred Jewel resting on the ground on the other side of the room. "Kikyo!" he gasped and got up to run for it, but Saori jumped in front of him, slashing her sword at him, in which Inuyasha angrily blocked it with his own Tetsusaiga. "Damn you," he grumbled bitterly.

As their fight continued on, Yusaku had started to battle Sango and Miroku, distracting them from their fight with Yuriko. However, Kagome hastily pointed one of her Sacred Arrows toward him and shot. Unfortunately, Yusaku sharply spun around and sent a blast of dark energy toward it, disintegrating the arrow and heading straight toward Kagome.

Shinobu, however, stood in front of Kagome and stopped the blast with her hands. She strained a bit as the black electricity sparked before hurling it upward and crashing through the ceiling. A few rocks crumbled downward and the opening in the sky revealed the dark, empty night sky. Shinobu then told Kagome, "I'll keep him distracted! You just keep shooting!"

"All right!" Kagome agreed, preparing another arrow as Shinobu charged toward Yusaku.

She frowned and said, "Please, forgive me, Mr. Godai," before slamming her fist hard into his face. He went flying backwards, but dug his feet into the marble, breaking the stone and sent another energy blast for her.

Meanwhile, Lum did battle with Yuriko. Her eyes burned white as lightning crashed down from the sky and through the ceiling into her hands and then was flung toward Yuriko. Yuriko glowered and threw her own blast of electricity toward Lum. At the same time, Sango swung her boomerang at Yuriko from above. Yuriko's expression became more irritated as she took one of her hands and swung it up toward Sango, sending her boomerang crashing into the wall. "Pests," she mumbled bitterly before a pulse of energy hit Sango and caused her and Kirara to go crashing into the ceiling and then falling to the ground.

"Sango!" Miroku exclaimed, running over to her and kneeling beside her.

"Miroku…" she said weakly as she forced herself to get up. She groaned, however, and placed a hand to her head.

"Don't get up, Sango," he told her worriedly.

But Sango shook her head and took hold of his arm. "Miroku…what are we going to do, Miroku?" And Miroku's eyes widened fearfully, realizing he didn't have an answer.

Shutaro's brightly shining sword, in the meantime, collided with Amane's, Amane scowling fiercely. "Of course you'd defend that damn little girl," he snapped with raging envy. "Are you in love with her, too, now?"

Shutaro narrowed his eyes and heaved his sword angrily at Amane, but Amane again blocked it. "So that is it, isn't it?" he questioned further, his eyes growing more and more insane with his anger and jealousy. "Lum was one thing - at least she was a goddess. But you chose some unworthy peasant girl over me?!"

"Miss Shinobu will be more worthy than you could ever even hope to be," Shutaro furiously and righteously retorted before driving his sword toward Amane with a burst of light, slashing right through Amane's left shoulder.

Amane let out a scream of pain as he staggered back, the blood spilling out and turning a sparkling white. He held up his right hand and pressed it hard against his bleeding shoulder as he fell to his knees, writhing with agony as he let out another painful whine. Shutaro's own eyes widened, something breaking inside him as the light dimmed and Amane's dark blood dripped down from underneath his harm, staining the marble floor. "Amane!" he exclaimed and dropped his sword, falling to his knees before him and placing a hand on Amane's right shoulder.

But Amane lifted his eyes, glowering furiously. "I don't need your pity anymore, Prince Shutaro," he said callously before grabbing Shutaro's wrist and throwing him to the floor. He stood up, slamming his foot hard into Shutaro's stomach and raised his sword over his throat.

Shinobu gasped, her mark of the Guardian of the Prince glowing brightly, and she turned to see Shutaro with Amane over him. "Prince Shutaro!" she exclaimed and without a second thought started running toward him.

"Wait! Shinobu!" Kagome shouted before turning fearfully to Yusaku, dark energy flaring all around him. But Kagome swallowed hard and pulled out another Sacred Arrow.

In the meantime, Amane raised his sword high. "Now you will die, Prince Shutaro; and this time I assure you that you won't be coming back!"

However, just as the sword went to plummet into Shutaro's neck, Shinobu grabbed onto Amane's arm, stopping him. Amane turned to her and snarled, "You!"

"Miss Shinobu!" Shutaro exclaimed happily.

Shinobu gave him a smile. "Just doing my job, that's all, Prince Shutaro," she said warmly before returning her eyes to Amane and giving him a hard kick in the stomach, causing him to go flying backwards. Shinobu then turned back to Shutaro and offered him her hand. He smiled and took it, and she pulled him up off the ground. However, Amane was rising himself, enraged with envy and murder glinting in his dark eyes.

Lum struggled to block Yuriko attack as her own powers began to weaken and Yuriko's grew stronger. Ataru watched from below, panic filling his eyes. "Lum!" he cried out helplessly. He then clenched his fists angrily as he eyed Yuriko. "Leave Lum alone, you jerk!" he shouted.

Yuriko turned her gaze to him and eyed him with annoyance. "Ataru Moroboshi; I no longer have a use for you," she said coldly before directing her attack toward him.

Lum gasped. "No, Darling!" She hastily flew over to Yuriko and grabbed onto her arm, pushing her arm upward and causing Yuriko's blast toward the top of the wall. With this, Yuriko sent a shock of dark energy through Lum. Lum let out a scream as Yuriko black electricity shocked her and went falling to the ground.

"Lum!" Ataru cried out, but Lum began to spark with more electricity, face becoming more determined as she scowled and pushed herself off the ground, flying back up to fight.

In the meantime, Inuyasha screamed, "Wind Scar!" his Tetsusaiga slamming into one of Saori's powerful blasts, hurling it back to her. She let out a shriek as it hit her. Inuyasha wasted no time, rushing over to the black Sacred Jewel that contained the last piece of Kikyo's soul. But Saori scowled, letting out a fierce, animalistic growl and swished in front of him just as he reached it, sending him blasting all the way back to the other side of the room.

As the battles unfolded, Kyoko watched on helplessly, clasping her hands together with frightened, sorrowful eyes. "Please, Soichiro…I don't know what to do anymore," she prayed desperately, tightening her fingers and pulling her hands closer to her chest. "I want to help…please, give me the strength to help!" Suddenly, her foot brushed up against something. Her wet lashes fluttered a bit before she looked down to see she was standing by an arrow - the first Sacred Arrow Kagome had shot at Yusaku and missed. Slowly, she bent down and picked it up, bringing the sharp tip to eye level as she stood up straight again. The arrow tip still had a small, dim glow. She then looked up to see Kagome futilely fending off an advancing Yusaku, fearfully stepping back as she shot another one of Sacred Arrows and Yusaku deflected it. Kyoko looked down at the arrow again and then narrowed her eyes, a glint of determination replacing her fear and sorrow.

Kagome stumbled backwards and fell on her backside as Yusaku advanced, glaring down at her with cold, hollow eyes and a dark, emotionless expression. Kagome's face filled with panic and dread as she desperately tried to reason, "Now, now, Mr. Godai. It's me, don't you remember? Kagome Higurashi? I'm in your class." Yusaku, however, said nothing, raising his hand as the dark energy around him increased. Kagome let out a whimper and hastily reached for another arrow. But Yusaku quickly snatched the arrow from her and broke it, tossing the pieces to the side. With a gasp, Kagome's eyes widened as Yusaku readied his final blow. Kagome closed her eyes tightly and recoiled back in fear, crying out, "Please, don't do it, Mr. Godai!"

However, Kyoko slid between them, her eyes looking directly at Yusaku's as she cried, "Yusaku!"

Yusaku gasped, breaking out of his trance once more as he stared at her face so close in front of his. "Ky…Kyoko…" he said in a bewildered daze, reaching his hand out and running his fingers through her hair.

It was then that Kyoko bit her lower lip and holding firmly onto the arrow with both hands, slammed it hard into Yusaku's gut. As soon as the arrow pierced his flesh, Yusaku let out a scream, the tip's dim glow becoming a bright light that engulfed him. He clutched his hands over his stomach and closed his eyes, the darkness peeling away from around him, and his clothes disappearing, be replaced by his old, ordinary ones. Finally, the light stopped and he fell to his knees with a groan, Kyoko catching him in his arms and falling down with him.

"Mr. Godai!" Kagome cried, crawling over to the two. She then looked up at Kyoko and grinned. "Wow, Kyoko! No wonder why Mr. Godai was always staring at you; you sure are something!"

Kyoko blinked as she blushed. "What?" she asked in confusion as she held an unconscious Yusaku.

Kagome then laughed nervously and with a wave of her hand, insisted, "Oh, nothing!"

Meanwhile, Yuriko scowled furiously and yelled, "No! Damn you!" She then narrowed her eyes and said, "It doesn't matter; I no longer need him. I can always get a new Prince!" Then, with her anger her powers increased further, the black electricity spreading and becoming more violent, Lum painfully and futilely struggling to overcome it.

"None of this is working!" Sango cried out. "She's too strong, even for Lum!" She then dropped her eyes, tears forming in her eyes. "Forgive me, father. Forgive me, Kohaku. I have failed you both."

"Sango, don't say that!" Miroku exclaimed, taking hold of her by the shoulders. "There's still hope! We've even saved Godai!"

Sango then gasped, noticing his cursed hand and taking hold of it. "You're right, Miroku; there is hope! You can use your Wind Tunnel and suck up Yuriko!"

"What?!" he exclaimed in horror. "What are you saying?"

"It's the only way!" she insisted. "It's the only thing stronger than even Lum! What else do we have that has a chance of defeating Yuriko?"  
There was a loud crash of lightning as Yuriko and Lum's powers collided again, sending sparks flying and lighting up the room. Miroku, however, shook his head, and turned his attention back to Sango. "I can't do it, Sango; you saw what happened last time - they'll turn my Wind Tunnel against us."

"You have to, Miroku," Sango said, now taking hold of his shoulders.

"But it's cursed - it was created under the ominous star. No good will come from it, especially now."

"It doesn't matter where it came from," Sango told him, her sincere gaze looking into his frightened eyes. "I believe in you and I know you'll do the right thing! It could never be used for evil in your hands!"

Miroku looked up to see Lum faltering, Yuriko's powers nearly engulfing her as she tried to push them back with her own. Miroku clenched his fists and narrowed his eyes, trying to find the confidence and courage to do what Sango had asked of him. Then, raising his cursed hand, he pulled off his prayer beads and shouted, "Wind Tunnel!"

As soon as the black hole was unleashed, the winds began to pull Yuriko toward it. Yuriko gasped, focusing on the black hole that had begun sucking her down to her doom. "The black hole!" she whispered as she started to be dragged toward it. "The black hole prophesized to destroy Rumi!" Her eyes narrowed as she turned her attention back to Lum, who was almost completely overtaken by Yuriko's electrical attack.

"It's working!" Sango exclaimed, smiling as her eyes brightened, and even Miroku's eyes lit up with a newfound hope.

Then, Yuriko grinned wickedly and released as much as energy as she could from her hand, completely overpowering Lum and surrounding her in a sphere of dark electricity. Then, with a swing of her arm, she sent the sphere hurling downward toward Miroku's Wind Tunnel, Lum inside.

Miroku gasped, eyes widening. "No!" he screamed, but it was too late for Lum had already been sucked into the empty void of his cursed hand.


	23. Chapter 23

So sorry for the delay! It's the end of the semester, so it's been kind of hectic for me and I kind of just forgot all about posting chapters! So sorry again!

Anyway, thanks so much for the review, jalp-MI, and to all those who have been reading! And I hope everyone enjoys the last two chapters! R&R! :)

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Three: Into Miroku's Wind Tunnel!

"_Lum!_" Ataru screamed on the top of his lungs as Miroku closed up his Wind Tunnel and fell to his knees, shaking and crying. The others looked on in horror, stopping their battles and staring at Miroku in shock and disbelief.

"I…I killed her," he stammered. "I killed the Eternal Goddess Lum."

"Miss…Miss Lum…" Shutaro said in a shaky voice when suddenly the light from his sword disappeared. "Wha…what?"

The mark on Shinobu's arm also vanished as did the light on the tip of Kagome's arrows. Yuriko cackled triumphantly. "Ha ha! Your goddess is truly dead! It's just as I prophesized - the black hole would destroy Rumi!" She then cruelly cackled again.

Ataru, however, shook his head with angry tears flying from his eyes as he ran over to Miroku and grabbed him by the collar. "Bring her back!" he demanded.

"I…I can't," Miroku said as he closed his eyes tightly as tears fell from them. "I can't do anything! I killed her!"

"Don't say that!" Ataru snapped furiously. "Lum isn't dead! Lum is…is…" He couldn't finish, however, choking on his sobs as he fell to his knees and began to cry.

"It is hopeless; I am now the reigning Goddess, the Eternal Goddess Yuriko," Yuriko proclaimed. "It is useless to fight anymore."

But Ataru raised his head and shouted, "No! Lum is not dead!" His eyes filled with determination as he turned his fierce glare to Miroku and ordered, "Open up the Wind Tunnel!"

"What?!" the others exclaimed in shock.

"I'm going in there to find Lum!" he said, standing up and raising an indignant, resolute fist.

"Moroboshi, don't be crazy!" Shutaro shouted to him.

"If anyone can bring her back, I can!" Ataru retorted, his determination rising.

Yuriko, meanwhile, chuckled in amusement. "Go ahead, monk; I no longer have any use for him anymore. Let him meet his death with his beloved goddess."

"But…I…" Miroku trailed off, looking down fearfully at his cursed hand.

"Do it!" Ataru snapped and Miroku closed his eyes tightly, unleashing his Wind Tunnel again for only a moment - enough time for Ataru Moroboshi to be dragged into its black hole. Miroku then hastily closed it and pulled his cursed hand close to him as he hunched over and began to sob.

Sango dropped down beside him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. Trying not to cry, she said softly, "Miroku, it will be all right."

Yuriko, on the other hand, chuckled further. "That poor fool, cursed by the ominous star; no wonder why he suffered such an obvious fate."

"Moroboshi…" Shutaro trailed off in disbelief.

Kagome, in the meantime, wiped her eyes as she felt her own tears start to fall. But something soon caught her eye and she looked up at through the hole that Shinobu had punctured in the ceiling. "A…a star?" she wondered aloud.

And the others looked up to see a bright, lone star shining in the dark, empty night sky.

* * *

Ataru slowly opened his eyes to see himself floating upside down in a strange black void that stretched on for what seemed like eternity. Around him he could see a blur of disfigured objects, swirls of colors and shapes going in and out, reforming and twisting about him. Ataru placed a hand over his mouth, suddenly feeling nauseous and dizzy as the odd, distorted objects swished about him. "Huh?" Ataru then looked up at his hands and then looked over the rest of his body to discover that he was fortunately not facing the same fate. Rather, he remained solid and normal in his appearance. He frowned, scratching his head a bit. "How the heck am I supposed to find Lum in this place, anyway?"

He flipped himself around now and began swimming through the black void, pushing past the distorted, blurry objects as he called out, "Lum! Lum! Where are you?" He then stopped as a sudden panic filled his face. "Say if Lum's one of these…these things?" he wondered fearfully. Hesitantly, he reached a hand out for one of the strange, undefined globs of color that continued shifted into different shapes and sizes. Closing his eyes tightly, he grabbed onto it. He then opened it to see that he was now holding what was a merely a piece of wood - a simple table leg. Ataru frowned in puzzlement. "Jeez…I guess Miroku's sucked up a lot of things…" he thought aloud, looking around at the other distorted objects that floated around.

Ataru then shook his head and exclaimed, "This isn't getting me anywhere!" He then released the table leg and it returned to its distorted form before he began swimming through the black void again.

"Lum! Lum, are you out there?" he called, grabbing onto other objects, but finding nothing but more broken pieces of wood and other inanimate objects. "Lum!"

"You're looking for Lum, are you?"

Ataru gasped, recognizing the voice immediately. He spun around to see Soichiro standing before him with a smile as the darkness suddenly changed to the woods outside the well. "Soichiro!" he exclaimed, running up to him. "Soichiro, you're all right!"

"In a matter of speaking," Soichiro answered lightly.

"But how did you get here?" Ataru asked. "Miroku couldn't have sucked you down his Wind Tunnel, too, could he have?"

Soichiro laughed. "Not exactly."

"But then…what's going on? Where's Lum?" Ataru asked. "And what about you?" Ataru then snapped his fingers and exclaimed, "Hey! This must be your mysterious power that Lum was talking about!"

Soichiro mussed his hair a bit and said, "You know, you're a lot smarter than some people give you credit for." Then, with a nudge of his head, he said, "Come on." Ataru frowned, still puzzled, but followed after Soichiro, anyway.

Suddenly, the setting around them changed again and they were in Kyoko's living room. Ataru let out a startled cry. "Where…where are we? What happened?" he questioned fearfully as he glanced around.

"We're in my old home," he told Ataru.

Ataru frowned and looked around at the strange foreign objects. He made his way to the television and began poking at it. Then, he suddenly heard Soichiro's voice call out, "Kyoko, I'm home." Ataru turned to see a second Soichiro walk through the doorway and a younger Kyoko with shorter hair enter the living room from the kitchen. She smiled warmly and said, "Hello, Soichiro; I'm almost done with dinner."

"Mmm…I can smell it from here…" And the two then headed into the kitchen.

Ataru frowned and scratched the back of his head. "Um, Soichiro…I'm really confused," he admitted. "Just what the heck is going on?"

Soichiro simply chuckled and the scene shifted to the basement of the Tomobiki High School gym where Ataru saw Shinobu kneeling over Shutaro's body. "Shinobu and Mendou!" he exclaimed, running up to them and standing over Shinobu as she intently stared at Shutaro's peacefully sleeping body that lay in brown paper and broken glass. "But…this must be…when they first met…" Ataru then turned back to Soichiro. "This must be when they first met!"

Soichiro gave him and smile and said, "There's something you must do for me," and half of the room suddenly returned to the black void of Miroku's Wind Tunnel.

However, much to Ataru's surprise, he saw Shutaro floating in the darkness, with his eyes tightly shut and fearfully repeating over and over, "It's dark! It's cramped! I'm scared!"

"Mendou!" Ataru exclaimed, running over to him.

"He can't hear you," Soichiro told him. "But that's all right."

"But…Soichiro…" Ataru stammered in confusion as he stared up at Shutaro once more.

"You see, this is the place Lum unknowingly sent Prince Shutaro's spirit to rest," Soichiro explained. "Now, I need you to pull him out for me."

"What?" Ataru asked, still bewildered. He turned back to see Shinobu lifting Lum's horn and then wince, dropping the horn in her lap as her arm began to glow.

"You have to pull him out so he can meet his new Guardian of the Prince," Soichiro clarified with a warm smile.

"But…that means…we've gone back in time?" Ataru then turned back to Shutaro and raised a hand up to him. Suddenly, Shutaro vanished from his sight. Ataru let out a gasp. "Ah! Where'd he go?!"

"Guardian of the Prince…?" he then heard Shinobu whisper and turned back around.

"It's dark! It's cramped! I'm scared!" Shutaro's words suddenly returned and Shinobu rose, starting to walk toward his voice when the scene vanished and second half of the room also returned to the same black void.

Ataru frowned, furrowing his eyebrows in puzzlement. "Soichiro…what is this place?"

"This is the where all time and space converges," Soichiro answered. "It is the end of Time and it is the beginning of Time. In a way, it is Time itself. Whatever is sucked into the tunnel reverts back to what it once was - an undefined blur of matter and color that will be reformed by Time and placed back into reality as something new."

"But…then…why haven't I become all globular?" Ataru asked, glancing around nervously at the strange floating objects.

But Soichiro gave him a smile. "Because you are the boy outside of Time."

"Outside of Time?" Ataru asked. "What about Mendou? How did he not become all…uh…discombobulated?"

"Mendou wasn't sucked into the tunnel; he was also taken out of Time temporarily by Lum and remained floating in this darkness until you finally pulled him out and placed him back into reality. Because you are not just outside of Time; but because you've found a way to control both Time and Space. You see, that's your special power, Ataru. It's how you pulled Lum from the heavens - it's how you cracked the barrier between Rumi and Imur as well as broke the barrier between Rumi and my world. And it's how you passed between your own time and Prince Shutaro's. You have the potential to both destroy and create Time and Space."

A bit of panic scurried across Ataru's face and he gulped nervously. "But…how did I get those type of powers, Soichiro?" he asked warily.

"The ominous star, of course," Soichiro answered and suddenly they were in the fields outside Ataru's house, looking up at the night sky that held only one brightly shining star.

"But what about you, then?" Ataru asked. "How are you here? And how is this mysterious power connected to you?"

"You see, Ataru, the day you were born in this world under that unlucky star, I died in my own world," Soichiro answered.

"What?!" Ataru exclaimed in disbelief.

Soichiro nodded. "So that star also affected me. When I died, it took my powers and made them tangible, in the hand of a young boy."

"You mean Miroku?" Ataru asked.

Soichiro nodded again. "And, you see, I finally understood what my powers were - they were the same ones as yours because you gave them to me when you pulled me through the well. I, too, had the potential to break through the barriers of Time and Space; but I didn't have the strength to actually do it. The ominous star is what gave you that strength - the ability to actually use that power and tap into Time and Space as well as give me the ability to. So, in a way, these powers are more so yours than mine."

"But…Soichiro…this all so confusing!" Ataru exclaimed in frustration, placing his hands on the sides of his head. "Does that mean you're not dead then? How are you here if you've died?"

"Actually, I've been dead for about ten minutes, I'd say," Soichiro told him and Ataru let out a panicked yelp as he fearfully stepped back from Soichiro. "Well, sort of dead. You see, during my last moment of life, I finally figured it out, Ataru, and I pulled myself out of Time - so I could talk to you now. But as soon as I'm done, I'll go back to reality and truly pass on as if no time had passed at all. Do you understand?"

"Sort of…" Ataru answered, scratching the back of his head with a frown and a bewildered look still stirring in his eyes.

"Good; now that you finally understand, you can go and use your powers to fight the Reverse Goddess," Soichiro said good-naturedly.

However, becoming stubborn, Ataru pointed up at the sky and exclaimed, "But, Soichiro, that ominous star is cursed, or did you forget?! That means nothing good willcome from my powers! I'll just end up destroying everything!"

Soichiro just chuckled. "I guess you'll just have to go up there and figure it out for yourself then, Ataru," he told him simply as he began to fade away. "Goodbye, Ataru and thank you for taking care of Kyoko; give Kyoko my love and make sure to thank her for taking care of you three. And remember to thank Lum and Prince Shutaro for being so kind to her, as well."

"But, wait, Soichiro!" Ataru called out to him, reaching a hand out to grab him, but Soichiro then disappeared from sight. Ataru frowned glumly as he retracted his hand and stared downward at the grass. "Go up there and figure it out for myself?" Ataru thought, repeating Soichiro's words. He then looked up at the star and his eyes became steely with determination. As the grass below him faded, Ataru's gaze locked on the star and he began to swim upward through the empty blackness of the night sky toward the star.

When he reached it, Ataru groaned, holding one arm up over his face to block the stinging, blinding, brilliant light of the star from his finite eyes. Ataru then strained to reach his other hand out toward it, feeling an enormous amount of energy and heat pushing him painfully back. Finally, he triumphed and the tip of his finger touched the luminous, bright star. The star brightened and Ataru shut his eyes tightly as all he could see was white. Then, the glow died down and Ataru slowly opened his eyes and dropped his arm. "Wha…_what?!_"

To his surprise, he saw a small sphere of dimly glowing light - and in that sphere was the curled up and sleeping Eternal Goddess Lum.

"Lum?!" Ataru questioned in shock.

Then, suddenly, an image of Lum flashed across his memory as she smiled and, waving a knowing finger at him, said lightly, "Now, Darling, how many times do I have to tell you there's no such things as unlucky stars? You just create your own trouble!"

Ataru gasped. "You mean, my star - my star was Lum all along?!"

* * *

Sakura looked out the window at the dark sky when the lone star appeared. "It's that star!" she exclaimed.

"The ominous star has finally returned," Cherry said to her as he sat greedily slurping up noodles and Sakura turned to him. "It finally will fulfill its mysterious fate."

"But…uncle…" Sakura began as she turned back toward the window. "That means Miroku - " she stopped short with a gasp. "The ominous star! It's gone!"

* * *

"It just disappeared!" Kagome exclaimed as the star vanished as quickly as it had appeared and the others gasped as well.

Yuriko, however, glowered. "It doesn't matter any longer - it simply was a sign of my victory. Now then, it is time to fulfill my destiny." Her eyes shifted to Shutaro. "Now that your goddess is gone and my prince is defective - " She glared over at Yusaku who was groaning and finally waking up.

Yusaku let out a yelp of panic as he gained consciousness and cried, "What - what's going on?!" He then hastily turned to see Yuriko hovering over them all with a massive amount of dark energy surrounding her. Yusaku let out another abrupt, startled scream of fear as he began trembling.

"I'm afraid your goddess is dead and you're no longer useful to me," Yuriko answered.

"What?!" Yusaku answered and turned to Kyoko, who simply lowered her head and gave him a solemn nod.

Yuriko, however, turned her attention back to Shutaro, "Now then, Prince Shutaro - you will become my prince or you will die. The choice is yours."

Shutaro narrowed his eyes in defiance. "I choose death."

Shinobu shook her head. "No, Prince Shutaro! Don't!"

Yuriko simply grinned wickedly. "I was hoping you'd say that. Amane!"

Amane nodded and grabbed Shutaro by the wrist, yanking him to his knees. "No, please!" Shinobu cried out as she grabbed onto Amane's arm, but without her strength, Amane easily threw her to the side.

He then raised his sword over Shutaro, ready to behead him. "Goodbye, Prince Shutaro." And Shutaro closed his eyes tightly, awaiting his death.

However, Miroku suddenly let out a scream of pain and Amane stopped as he and the others looked to him in surprise. Miroku held out his cursed hand, fingers outstretched. "Miroku!" Sango cried when suddenly the prayer beads on his hand broke off, the beads scattering onto the marble floor. Sango's eyes widened while Miroku let out another scream, closing his eyes, and clasping his other hand onto his wrist to try and steady it as his Wind Tunnel was unleashed.

Suddenly, Shinobu felt a pain in her lower right arm. She gasped and looked down to see the mark of the Guardian of the Prince returning and glowing brightly. Shutaro's sword also began to glow brightly once more as did the tips of Kagome's arrows.

And out of Miroku's Wind Tunnel came Ataru Moroboshi, holding Lum close to him with one of his arms and holding on to Miroku's black hole with the other, yanking it out of Miroku's hand and the blackness swirling spiraling around him as a beam of light twisted around the spiraling blackness, like two ropes intertwined.

Miroku gasped, looking down at his hand to see only an ordinary palm. "My Wind Tunnel!" he exclaimed in disbelief to see that it was no longer there.

"Moro…Moroboshi?" Shutaro meanwhile stammered, eyes widening as he saw Ataru standing before them all with such an enormous power clutched tightly in his hand and circled all around him.

And Lum slowly opened her eyes to see Ataru holding her. "Darling…?"

Yuriko scowled furiously, but on Ataru's face was filled with both determination and vengeance; he would not be defeated.


	24. Chapter 24

Again, thanks to all who read, reviewed, favorited, or alerted this story! It's all much appreciated and I hope everyone enjoyed it! This is the final chapter so, again, thank you everyone! And, as always, I hope you enjoy the conclusion! :)

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Four: Eternal Darling

The light around Ataru Moroboshi brightened and the rope of black continued to circle about him as the scars on the Mendou Palace disappeared, the windows, walls, floor, and ceiling of the throne room being restored to its original glory of luminous white and shimmering gold, bathed in the ethereal light coming from Ataru. And the sky above them filled with brilliant stars, shining down on the palace as if the heavens had finally opened up to give light to Rumi.

"What is this?" Yuriko snarled angrily, but then snapped her head toward Amane, ordering urgently, "Hurry and kill the Prince! Before it's too late!"

Amane, who had been just as bedazzled and amazed by the dazzling spectacle of light and transformation, broke from his stunned stupor and raised his sword. Shinobu and Shutaro, too, broke from their own dazes, Shutaro's eyes widening with fear as Amane's glinting sword barreled down toward him and Shinobu desperately and futilely rising as she screamed, "No, wait!"

"Amane! Amane!"

Amane gasped and stopped just when his sword was only inches away from the back of Shutaro's neck. He turned his gaze in wonder up to the right to see a young Shutaro running past him, calling out, "Amane! Amane! You can't catch me!" He stuck his tongue out and then laughed as he began to run again.

"Prince…Shutaro…?" he whispered aloud, the memory stinging his eyes with regret and longing as he dropped his sword to his side and stood up straight to watch himself appear, only ten years younger, chuckling. Shutaro and the others, too, looked on in awe and bewilderment as a sixteen-year old Amane scooped Shutaro up and hoisted him up on his shoulder with another laugh.

"Hey! Don't you know you're not allowed to catch me, Amane?" the young Shutaro questioned sternly.

"I'm not?" the sixteen-year old Amane asked innocently. "But I thought that was part of the game, Prince Shutaro."

"Yeah, but I'm a _prince. _I'm supposed to always win," Shutaro explained matter-of-factly. "Everybody knows that."

The sixteen-year old Amane laughed. "That's right; princes are always supposed to win, aren't they?" And then the two laughed together.

Amane found himself smiling as he watched the scene while Shutaro looked on, still baffled to see himself so young. Shinobu, too, however, smiled as she watched Amane put down the young Shutaro again and the two started playing again.

"Hey, will you push me?"

Shinobu gasped and looked to her left to see that somehow a piece of her neighborhood park back in Tomobiki had found its way into the throne room. She could see herself at the age of eight walking by the swings where Kagome sat, only eight years old as well.

"Hey, that's us!" Kagome exclaimed, equally surprised.

"Could you push me, please?" the young Kagome, meanwhile asked the young Shinobu again. "I want to go as high as the sky!"

And the two girls watched as their younger selves played on the swings, giggling as Shinobu pushed Kagome higher and higher.

"Hey, what's your name, anyway?" the young Kagome asked as she got off the swing. "I'm Kagome Higurashi."

"I'm Shinobu Miyake," the young Shinobu answered with a smile.

"Here, you go next!" the young Kagome then decided, pulling Shinobu onto the swing and starting to push her as high as she could. And Shinobu and Kagome smiled warmly as they watched their younger selves play.

"Darling! Darling!" Lum's voice called out from the other side of the room and they turned to see another image had appeared, this one of Lum and Ataru in the field outside his home.

Lum's eyes glistened as she pulled away from Ataru, still surrounded by the ropes of blackness and light, and intently looked on at the reflection of herself, affectionately recalling the memory.

"Come on, Darling!" the past Lum said, taking hold of Ataru's arm. "I've made you a cake!"

"A cake?" Ataru questioned suspiciously, his face turning a bit green at the thought. "Why'd you make me a cake for?"

"For your birthday, of course, Darling!" Lum answered, tugging on his arm as she flew a couple feet above the grass. "You turn fifteen today."

"Jeez, Lum, I already told you I didn't want you getting me anything…"

"Hey, Kikyo," Inuyasha's voice suddenly spoke in and Inuyasha now gasped himself, turning to see himself in the woods outside of the capital of Rumi with his black hair. He was smiling, sitting on a tree branch and looking down at Kikyo.

An image of Kikyo now appeared, looking up at him with a welcoming grin. "Hello, Inuyasha. Did Lum send you?"

The past Inuyasha however just chuckled a bit and replied, "Nah, I just thought I'd stop by and see you for awhile…"

"Wow, Shutaro! This is some party!" Lum's voice came back to them and a new image appeared as the other past memories continued to play. Lum stood in a banquet hall of the Mendou Palace along with Shutaro, Soichiro, and Ataru.

"Of course, Miss Lum; it's only my fifteen birthday," the past Shutaro spoke haughtily. "But just wait until my sixteenth birthday. Now that will be a spectacular feast!"

"Why's that?" the past Ataru asked half-interestedly as he munched away on an hors d'oeuvre.

"Because I'll be crowned King, obviously," the past Shutaro remarked with a cocky grin.

"Mr. Otonoshi!" a younger Kyoko with shorter hair called out, wearing the same high school uniform that Shinobu and Kagome donned. Kyoko's eyes widened and she saw another corner of the room had been filled with her own past memories, with her and Soichiro walking in the rain, his umbrella covering both their heads.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Otonoshi; I forgot my umbrella at home today," the younger Kyoko explained.

"Oh, I see," Soichiro said knowingly before pulling out Kyoko's umbrella that she had hidden under the back of her shirt. Kyoko giggled as she watched the scene, her younger self blushing in embarrassment.

Meanwhile another piece of the room transformed to outside Sakura's home in the woods, a teenage Sakura kneeling with a young, crying Miroku. "It will be all right, Miroku, you'll see," she told him. "These prayer beads will protect you now…"

Miroku smiled sadly, glancing down at the beads that now lay scattered at his feet. And beside the scene appeared a younger, twelve year old Sango with her brother Kohaku, friendly sparring with each other. "Come on, Kohaku! That's it!" the young Sango encouraged her brother with a warm laugh. Sango covered her mouth, her eyes glistening over as she watched what she remembered so well.

"Travel together?" Sango then heard her own voice ask and both her and Miroku turned to see another scene appear. "Now why would I travel around with a lecherous monk like you?"

"Come on, Sango," the past Miroku urged. "It could be fun. Besides, we're going the same way and we'd make a pretty good team…"

"Hey, look; it's Mr. Godai!" Kagome then exclaimed as she saw another part of the room transform as more scenes from the far past continued to play. Yusaku turned to see himself just out of high school, diligently taking a college entrance exam, a panicked expression across his face.

Meanwhile, in another part of the room, a past reflection of Soichiro wrote on the board of a classroom at Tomobiki High School. But his image soon faded and was replaced by a timid Yusaku, bowing his head and sheepishly stammering, "Um…my name is Godai…Yusaku Godai…I'll…um…be your homeroom teacher this year…"

"Darling…what is all this?" Lum asked as she watched the past all around her, the scenes increasing and continuing to play out so clearly.

And then the future slowly came before them, mixing in with the past. "Come on, Shinobu!" Kagome called out, only a couple years older as the well outside her backyard appeared amongst the other places and times. "Let's hurry through the well already!"

"Coming!" the future Shinobu replied, appearing beside the well. "I haven't seen Prince Shutaro in awhile now…"

"Yeah, and Inuyasha; he's been being such a jerk lately!" Kagome exclaimed.

"Well, he's always been rough around the edges," Shinobu remarked. "Too bad we can't convince Mr. Godai to come more often, though…"

The future Kagome laughed. "That's because he's such a scaredy-cat," she teased before both girls jumped through the well.

"Sit, boy!" another future Kagome yelled and Kagome turned now to see herself in the woods somewhere along with Inuyasha, who had been fiercely slammed into the ground.

"Where'd the heck you learn to do that?!" the future Inuyasha questioned heatedly as he pulled himself up.

"Lum taught it to me!" Kagome answered, equally frustrated. "She said it's about time I had a way to put you in your place!"

"Well, I guess its better than being shocked all the time like that idiot Ataru Moroboshi…"

Another scene formed in the throne room, this time one of the corridors of the Mendou Palace. Another future Shinobu exclaimed, "Happy Birthday, Prince Shutaro! You're seventeen today! Or…well, technically it's one-hundred seventeen, I guess."

"Thank you, Miss Shinobu," the future Shutaro replied with a cocky grin before taking her arm. "Come on, Miss Shinobu! You have to see my party; it's my most elaborate one yet. After all, I had to make up for the one I missed on my sixteenth birthday…"

"Live with you?" Sango's voice then came to their ears and they could see a blushing Sango and a smiling Miroku sitting on the grass.

"Yes, and bear my children," the future Miroku answered. "Now that my Wind Tunnel's gone - "

He was cut off as the future Sango hastily took his hand. "And you promise you'll be faithful to me and me alone?"

The future Miroku cringed a bit. "Um…well…"

"Congratulations!" They turned to see the future Yusaku standing in the hallway of Tomobiki High School with Kagome and Shinobu.

"I can't believe it, finally graduating!" the future Kagome exclaimed.

"It's so scary," the future Shinobu added. "I hope I did all right on my entrance exams."

"Besides, Mr. Godai, shouldn't we be congratulating you and Kyoko?" the future Kagome then joked with a wink as the future Yusaku's face turned bright red.

Beside the scene, another image from the future appeared, this one of Kyoko and Yusaku stopped in the street together. "I'll marry you, Godai, if you promise me something," she said to him before turning to him with sad, glistening eyes. "Promise me - even if it's for a day - promise me that you will live longer than me."

"Jeez, Lum; will you stop clinging onto me like that!" the future Ataru now spoke as an image of him and Lum appeared in the center of the room, surrounded by all the other scenes from the past and the future.

"Come on, Darling!" the future Lum exclaimed. "We just saved all of Rumi! We should be celebrating!"

"But what does that have to do with my arm?!"

"Oh, Darling, aren't you ever going to just admit that you love me?"

"Love you? Ha! Not even on my deathbed!"

Yuriko grinned sinisterly now as she watched the room transform with the different places and times, each one carving out its own spot in the room. "I understand now," she said in a low voice. "But tell me, Ataru Moroboshi, what will you do now? Will you compress all of Time and Space together as you are doing now? You will simply end up destroying everything."

Ataru glowered. "I'm going back in time to erase you and the whole Reverse World out of existence!"

Yuriko's glare became fiercer. "If you do that, your comrades will lose all of this - " she gestured out at the memories and future revelations - "Both their pasts and futures will be erased and rewritten and they will all cease to exist as you know them now."

Ataru glowered and his determination intensified. "I don't care!"

Lum gasped and took hold of Ataru's arm. "No, Darling!" she cried fearfully. "Then none of us would ever have met!"

But Ataru turned to her with an assuring smile. "Don't worry, Lum; we'll all meet again! Trust me!" he told her with a wink and Lum's eyes fluttered in bewilderment.

"But…Darling…"

Yuriko snarled furiously. "No! I will not allow you to do this! You will not defeat me!" she screamed, rushing toward him with her eyes widened and bulging with an insane, murderous rage. Ataru snapped his eyes back toward Yuriko and stubbornly narrowed them. Her hand dug between the black whirlwind around him, her nails sharp and pointed toward his neck as the light around the blackness began to spark, forcing her back. "No…" she growled angrily, screaming as she pushed her hand closer despite the pain.

But Ataru's eyes became darker and more determined and a wave of light burst from him. A silence followed as the wave of light swiftly, but gently passed over the others as the images all disappeared. It then spread, crossing through the castle and spreading outward across all of Rumi. Yuriko's wrathful eyes became one of puzzlement as she stared downward at the glorious light that floated below her, engulfing the others as if it were a sea. "What…what is this?" she asked. The others, in the meantime, stared down in awe, running their hands through the water-like light that so serenely covered them. However, Yuriko did not remain impressed for long and her anger returned, her glare icily stabbing back into Ataru as she pushed her hand closer to Ataru with a furious, barbaric scream.

And then, there was a burst of blinding light from Ataru Moroboshi, engulfing Yuriko entirely as the gentle sea of light that engulfed Rumi pulsed with a sudden eruption of energy. When the blinding light died and the others could finally open their eyes, they saw that the black whirlwind around Ataru had vanished as had the sea of light that had covered them; moreover, Yuriko was gone as was Saori. Lum cautiously stepped over to Ataru, asking warily, "Darling…what did you do, Darling?"

But Ataru just grinned and answered lightly, "Just what I said I was going to do! I erased Yuriko and the entire Reverse World; it's as if they never existed at all."

"But then…how are we all still here, Moroboshi?" Shutaro asked as he stood up in confusion. "And how is that we remember her?"

"Oh, that's easy; I simply pulled everyone and everything in Rumi outside of Time!" Ataru replied with a laugh.

"_What?!_" the others exclaimed fearfully looking around as if the whole world was about to collapse in on itself.

"But, Darling, isn't that dangerous?!" Lum then questioned.

"I guess so," Ataru answered lackadaisically as he crossed his arms behind his head. "But at least now everyone in Rumi will get to keep their memories. And nothing in Rumi is affected at all even though Yuriko and the Reverse World don't exist. It's like nothing's changed and yet everything has."

Yusaku frowned with a groan. "This whole thing is hurting my head…" he muttered.

"So instead of making yourself the catalyst for the change in the past, you chose to make it as if all of Rumi was the catalyst for the change instead," Miroku theorized. "So now Rumi exists on a new plane of space and time, one created and controlled by Ataru Moroboshi - our entire fate rests in his hands." He shuddered at this as did the others.

Ataru shrugged. "Whatever you say; all I know is that everything's stayed the same so I'm satisfied."

"Moroboshi! This is serious!" Shutaro exclaimed. "Don't you realize the very fabric of time and space lies in the balance?!"

"Ah, quit complaining, Mendou," Ataru remarked offhandedly. "Besides, you should be glad that there was one thing that I decided to not pull outside of time with us." He then gestured around them.

It was then that Shutaro fully realized that his palace had remained completely restored, back in its original glory of shining gold and pure white. "My palace!" he exclaimed with an ecstatic laugh of disbelief as he looked about with wide, childlike eyes. "It's…it's perfect again, Moroboshi!"

Ataru glanced away, cheeks turning a slight shade of pink, and muttered, "Well, it's not like I wanted to hear you keep complaining about it anymore so I figured I might as well just have it fixed for you."

Lum smiled knowingly. "Of course, Darling," she replied giving him a small nudge and Ataru scowled a bit, but then smiled.

"Hey, look outside!" Kagome exclaimed, as she leaned over the window ledge and looked through the shimmering glass. "All the buildings in the city are restored, too!" The others quickly ran over to gaze out at the marvelous workmanship of the beautiful capital of Rumi, the sun having begun to rise out and cast its glorious rays generously down on the palace and its city.

As they laughed happily as they looked at the rebuilt city, the black Sacred Jewel caught Lum's eyes. She flew over to it and picked it up. She smiled sadly as she looked down at it. However, just as she was about to break it, Inuyasha said, "I'll do it."

Lum looked up to see her standing beside her with a hand reached out toward her. Lum smiled sympathetically and nodded, handing him the small jewel. Inuyasha looked down at it with his own bittersweet smile. Then he raised his head and gazed back out the window at the restored city that Kikyo roamed and now finally saw brought back to its original glory. "Goodbye, Kikyo," he said softly before crushing the jewel in his hands, the glittering dust flying out from between his fingers.

Meanwhile, the others had begun to celebrate, still joyously staring out the windows in amazement between intermittently laughing and applauding and hugging each other. However, Shinobu suddenly frowned, realizing someone was missing. She turned around to see Amane, standing by the doorway with a smile, before slipping out. Shinobu glanced back at the others, particularly Shutaro, who was immersed in his joy that both his castle and city had been restored, before she followed after Amane.

When she stepped out into the corridor, she called out to Amane, "No, wait!"

Amane turned around and gave her a smile. "I was hoping it would be Prince Shutaro; but I suppose I should have known better. After all, it would be near impossible to pull him away from his celebrations now that his palace has been restored."

Shinobu smiled with a small laugh. Amane then placed his hand on the white marble stone of the wall and continued, "I will miss this place; it's filled with so many good memories. I'm glad I finally got to see it how I remembered it once more - and how I remembered Prince Shutaro."

"Don't go, Amane," Shinobu then said. "I'm sure Prince Shutaro will forgive you if you give him some more time. You've both known each other for so long."

Amane grinned again, but gazed away. "Yes, some more time - you're right. Then, maybe…maybe I'll come back." His gaze then returned to her and he said, "You take care of him for me until then, all right? You are his new Guardian of the Prince now, so it's your job to make sure he's never sad or afraid again. But I better not come back and find out he's unhappy, you hear? Otherwise, I might have to try and kill you again." He gave her a smirk and a wink, but Shinobu simply smiled back without any worry. He then turned around and with a wave said, "Make sure to tell Prince Shutaro 'goodbye' for me."

Shinobu nodded as she watched him slowly fade away. "Goodbye, Amane," she called back to him just as he disappeared from sight. She then smiled and headed back to the throne room.

* * *

"Man, I can't wait to go home," Yusaku said as he and the others walked through the woods toward the well later that day as the sun began to set. "This has been one heck of a trip!"

"I hope the next time I don't get to miss out on any of the adventure," Kagome remarked with a small frown of disappointment.

"'Next time?!'" Yusaku questioned frantically. "What, are you trying to jinx me?! One crazy trip through some fantasy land is enough to last a lifetime!"

"Don't be such a wuss," Inuyasha commented with a smirk. "Besides, you better come back and visit - otherwise, I'll come back to your world and drag you back here myself!"

Yusaku groaned in self-pity at this, but said nothing when they finally reached the well. "Well, I guess this is it," Kagome said, taking a deep breath.

Kyoko took a step forward and bowed her head politely. "Thank you all again for being so kind. One day, if you ever come to my world, I hope I can show you the same hospitality."

"Oh, don't mention it!" Lum insisted with a smile.

"Yeah, Kyoko!" Ataru chimed in. "Thank you for helping us out!"

"Yes, Miss Kyoko," Shutaro agreed. "Without you, we never could have succeeded."

"And Soichiro wanted me to thank you," Ataru then said.

Kyoko's eyes glistened with tears as she asked, "Soichiro?"

Ataru nodded. "I saw him when I was in Miroku's Wind Tunnel; he also wanted me to tell you that he loves you."

Kyoko smiled, a few tears dripping down her cheeks as she replied with all her heart, "Thank you - all of you."

"Don't act like this is goodbye!" Sango then exclaimed. "After all, you guys can come through the well whenever you'd like."

"And Kagome and Shinobu will always know when there's trouble or they're needed," Miroku pointed out. "After all, they're connected to Lum and Prince Shutaro."

"And whenever you need us, we'll be sure to know, too," Lum added.

Kagome and Shinobu smiled as Shinobu warmly said, "Thanks" for the two of them.

"And remember, you all will always be welcome in Rumi and in the Mendou Palace," Shutaro then told them with a smile.

"Well, I guess it's time to get going," Kagome then said, turning to the well. She looked back and added, "But you guys better not be strangers, either! After all, it would be kind of fun to show you all around Tomobiki and Tokyo!"

"Don't say that! Think of the chaos they'd cause!" Yusaku exclaimed.

"Hey, you never know; maybe next time Earth will be in peril instead of Rumi," Kagome reasoned.

"Why must you keep saying next time?" Yusaku replied dejectedly with a worried frown.

Kagome sighed and patted him on the shoulder. "There, there, Mr. Godai. It will be all right. Like Inuyasha says, though, you've got to start facing your fears every once in awhile."

"I think I handled myself pretty bravely if I do say so myself," Yusaku remarked, crossing his arms.

"I guess for someone like _you _it would be considered commendable," Inuyasha cracked and Yusaku shot him a sneer, but soon found himself smiling.

"Bye, everyone!" Kagome exclaimed as she sat on the well.

"And try not to cause any more trouble!" Yusaku added as he went to follow. "I don't think I could take anymore!"

"Unfortunately, with Moroboshi around, that's highly unlikely," Shutaro retorted giving Ataru a glare and Ataru stuck his tongue out at him in response.

Both Yusaku and Kagome laughed before going through the well. Kyoko then smiled and bowed her head again. "Goodbye, everyone. I hope to see you all real soon."  
"Come back and visit whenever you like," Sango said.

"Yeah, there doesn't have to be an emergency for you to stop by and say hello," Ataru reiterated.

"Thank you; I'll be sure to," Kyoko said with a smile.

"Oh, and try to take care of Godai, won't you?" Inuyasha then added. "I mean, he'd be completely lost otherwise."

"I'll try," she answered with a sincere smile before she gracefully stepped onto the side of the well and then hopped down it.

Shinobu then smiled and turned to the others. "Thank you, everyone. I don't know what I would have done without all of you!" She then turned to Shutaro and unexpectedly embraced him as she exclaimed, "Goodbye, Prince Shutaro!"

Shutaro blinked a few times in surprise as his face turned a bit pink. But then he smiled and gently patted her hair, saying sweetly, "Goodbye, Miss Shinobu."

She then pulled away and headed back to the well. "See you all soon!" she exclaimed, giving them all a wave and a wink before she jumped down the well.

Sango now sighed and turned to Miroku. "So now what do we do, Miroku? The curse of your Wind Tunnel's been lifted, my father and brother have been avenged, and there aren't any demons left in Rumi to fight."

Miroku smiled, however, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure we'll think of something, Sango. After all, if it isn't demons, it's an evil sorcerer or an angry spirit or a thief."

"I guess as long as we're together, we're set," Sango said as the two began to walk away into the woods. "Bye, everyone! See you around!"

"And if you need anything, I'm sure you'll discover a way to find us," Miroku added. "I mean, you are the Eternal Goddess Lum, after all."

Lum smiled and gave a wave as the two disappeared into the woods. Inuyasha, in the meantime, sighed and said, "Well, now that that's done with, I'll be going. Call me if you need anything, Lum."

"Bye, Inuyasha!" Lum called after him as he jumped into the trees and out of sight, leaving only Shutaro, Ataru, and herself.

"Well, it's back to just the three of us again," Ataru said, glancing over at the well. "Back in the place where we met Soichiro."

"Yes, this well has brought us some good fortune, hasn't it?" Shutaro commented with a smile. He than ran his hand through his hair and said, "But I better get going back to my castle; after all, I've got to build up a new army, get a bunch of new servants, and repopulate my city. Are you two coming?"

"We'll be just a minute, Shutaro," Lum told him with a smile. Shutaro gave a nod and started off. Meanwhile, Lum floated down beside Ataru and asked, "Darling, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah; what is it, Lum?"

"Do you really think it's wise for us to all know so much about our futures?"

Ataru shrugged and answered, "Well, the future's not set in stone, you know. Anything can change. Besides, in a few months, we'll probably forget all about it, anyway."

Lum grinned now and took hold of his arm. "So that means you still might finally admit you do love me, right?"

Ataru's face turned a bit red as he quickly averted his eyes from her and crossed his arms stubbornly. "I never said that!"

"But Darling! That's so cruel, don't you think? To never ever say it, even on your deathbed?"

Ataru scoffed, however, and remarked, "It's even crueler if you make me say it!"

Lum now scowled furiously, sparks of electricity flying from her. "_Darling!_" she screamed and Ataru let out a yelp of panic as she shocked him.

Hearing the commotion, Shutaro stopped and looked back to see the shining light of Lum's electricity as she shocked Ataru, followed by an angry, singed Ataru furiously scolding her, which only caused Lum to get more irritated and shock him again. Shutaro laughed, shaking his head, and quietly said to himself, "Moroboshi…you idiot." With that, he began to walk again.

And as the two continued to bicker, the night rose above them, an infinite amount of shining stars filling in and lighting up the black void of the sky; but out of all the stars, not one shined as brightly as that unlucky star that belonged to Ataru Moroboshi.

The End!


End file.
